Reality
by Goog1e
Summary: Its been long. Too long for her to handle. Its been a year since she last saw him. The business card that he gave her at the airport still sits where she left it. By the phone. Ariadne can't imagine calling him, but she might not have to. Arthur/Ariade
1. One: Prolouge

**Hi. This is my first fanfic of Inception on this site, so I would really love to get some feedback about out this prologue went. Please, review and rate! And, I do know that this is like a summary of what happens during Ariadne's first dream, but this is what Arthur feels and thinks while this is all happening.**

**Meghan.**

Chapter One: Prologue.

**Arthur.**

Arthur was working on some of the Fischer job details when the warehouse door was opened. He was surprised at the door, and instinctively reached out for his glock 17. Cobb said he'd be back later, but obviously he was early. Arthur stood, fixed his tie, and then realized Cobb wasn't alone. He was with a girl, and Arthur couldn't help raised an eyebrow at Cobb. The girl was looking all around the warehouse, examining every detail. Cobb left the girl at the door, and approached Arthur. "Arthur, set up the PASIV" He quickly muttered. Arthur nodded, and picked the medium sized briefcase on the floor next to his desk. He laid it on the table, where lawn chairs circled around it. He finished under two minutes setting it up, and nodded at Cobb. Cobb cleared his throat and signaled the girl. At this time Arthur could see more details about her. Her curly brown hair always changed as she walked, and he could guess she liked scarves. Her brown eyes travelled over everything, noticing every detail. "Yes?" She asked once she approached.

"I need to show you something before I even tell you about this job offer. Please sit down," Cobb said, Arthur couldn't help sense Cobb was feeling a little awkward. "Oh, and this is Arthur," Cobb added before sitting down on one of the lawn chairs. Arthur smirked, and stuck out his hand in a polite manner. "Pleased to meet you..?" He asked. "Ariadne" She replied, taking his hand. Their eyes met, and Arthur felt a tingle rune down his spine. He would certainly remember this girl.

Ariadne stepped around him, and settled in one of the lawn chairs, close to Arthur's desk. Her eyes widened a little when she looked at the glock. Ariadne glanced at him, and then quickly became interested in her boot. Arthur set the timer for 5 minutes, and stuck the IV needle into Cobb's wrist. He approached Ariadne, and carefully took her hers. Her skin was soft to the touch, and he could feel her eyes watching him. Gently, he stuck the IV in her wrist, and pushed to button on the PASIV.

Cobb kept a serious expression while he was under, but Ariadne looked peaceful. The rise and fall of her chest, could tell him wtihout a totem that this was reality. Arthur felt the same tingle go down his spine while he was looking at her, and couldn't help it. He brushed a lock of her hair away from her face, but then quickly took his hand back when he realized what he'd done. _He just met this girl. Besides, he was supposed to be a Point Man. A Point Man who kept a straight face when things when for the worse, and didn't feel any emotions. _Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, and sat down at his desk. He was confused.

Finally, the timer ran out, and both Cobb and Ariadne woke up. Arthur watched her expression as Cobb and he explained dream sharing. "Put us in for another 5 minutes" Cobb asked. Arthur went to the PASIV, and set it. "5 minutes? We were talking for at least an hour!" Ariadne blurted out. "In a dream, you mind seems to function more quickly, time feels to be slower" Cobb explained. "5 minutes in reality gives you an hour in the dream world" Arthur added. "Why don't you see what you can get up to in five minutes" Cobb said to her. Ariadne nodded, and relaxed. She slowly slipped into the dream world. Arthur stares at her again, but this time, he actually reaches into his vest pocket and takes out his totem; the loaded die. He rolls them, and they tell him he's in reality.

Suddenly, Ariadne wakes up, gasping for air. Within a second, he is at her side, clutching her wrist. He rips the IV out, and quickly talked to her. "Your okay, your fine, you back". Ariadne catches her breathe, but she didn't remove her hand from her stomach. "Why didn't I wake up?" She asked him desperately. "You only wake up from a dream if the timer runs out, or you die. There was still time left" Arthur quickly responds. He starts feeling something down in his chest, and a sudden wave of protectiveness washed over him. _He wanted to __protect__ this girl._ Cobb leaped up, and said, "She'll need a totem". "A what?" Ariadne asked. "A totem. Its-"Arthur is cut off by her screaming at Cobb. "Nice subconscious you got there! She's a real charmer!" She screams at Cobb as he walked away. A rare smile clung to Arthur's lips. "I see you've met Mrs. Cobb" He chuckles quietly.

"He's married to her?" She asks in bewilderment.

"Not exactly" He says.

''Ex-Wife?"

Arthur shakes his head. "She died." He says bluntly. "So, a totem. Something you need on you at all times," He starts to explain what a totem is. During the explanation, her eyes never left his, even when he showed her his totem. Arthur was sure he wouldn't forget out her.

**Ariadne**.

Ariadne couldn't help but feel attracted to the mysterious dark haired man. He treated her with respect, and honestly? She'd never felt this way before. _It's too soon, you just met him. He's probably not even interested in a girl like her_ She thought to herself gloomily.

She got up after Cobb left, and paced around. Arthur packed up the PASIV, and sat down at his desk to work on something. Ariadne walked over to the lawns chairs, and sat on the one closest to him. "So, Arthur?" She asked. He swiveled around in his chair and faced her. "Mhm?" He responded. "How did you get into this business?" She cautiously asked him. Ariadne honestly didn't want to immediately get on Arthur's bad side. "I met Cobb and things, well, things went from there to here I guess" He responded, he genuinely looked surprised at the question. Ariadne nodded.

_**After the Fischer job. **_

**Arthur.**

The airport terminal was packed as people rushed and pushed to get a taxi. Arthur could barely see her head bobbing through the crowd. "Ariadne!" He managed to yell. She was about to get into a taxi, her head snapped back in his direction. Pushing people out of the way, he made it to her. "Arthur?" She asked. "Stay in touch okay?" He asked her, handing her a business card. Their fingers brushed against each other's, and the same tingling sensation spread across his body. Ariadne smiled, and nodded. He alsmot melted, but kept a straight composure. "I have to go, but yeah. I'll stay in touch" She told him. Arthur watched as she got in the taxi, and drove away.

He was about to leave, and catch his own taxi, but something was caught on his foot. It was Ariadne's scarf. He picked it up, and felt the softness of it. He still could see her taxi in the distance, but it was disappearing fast. He did something rare. He smiled, and tucked her scarf into his pocket. He got in a taxi, and drove away.


	2. Two

**Hi. This is the first chapter to this series I guess. And also unlike the prologue, this follows a different storyline AFTER they performed Inception on Fischer. Thanks to everyone who read the first one also. You guys are awesome : ) **

**Meghan. **

Chapter Two.

**One Year After Inception…**

**Ariadne **

Ariadne jumped as someone slid onto the bench next to where she was sitting. "Jeez, Ariadne, it's only me babe" The man said. She turned and looked at her boyfriend of 5 months.

"Don't call me that. It makes me feel uncomfortable" She muttered. She and Chase have been on and off for months, and he always tries to impress her, or make her feel like she ALWAYS needs him. But lately, there has been only one man on her mind lately. Arthur.

He said they keep in touch, but to her, it feels like he's doing the exact opposite. The business card he gave her that day still sits untouched where she left it: by the phone. Ariadne smiles at a memory of him:

"_What's happening?" _

"_Your subconscious is looking for the dreamer: me. Quick, give me a kiss" _

…_.._

"_They're still looking at us" _

"_Yeah, it was worth a shot" _

Butterflies fill her stomach when she thinks about the kiss. "You okay?" Chase suddenly asks her out of nowhere. She takes a deep breath in, and nods. "Yeah," She hesitates before answering. "Okay, I'm gonna go get us something to eat," He responds after getting up. She can't help but think, _He doesn't make me feel the way Arthur does_. She and the mysterious Point Man bonded over the course of what? Weeks? Months? How could she be so sure?

The bench where she is sitting is in a quaint park, not far from where she lives, and it gives a great view of London. She sits there with her sketch pad almost every day, just drawing the things around her. Suddenly, her phone started buzzing. _God, I hate these things,_ She thinks as she struggles to find her phone.

She flicks the phone open. "Hello?" She said harshly. _Click. _The phone on the other line hangs up. _Prank callers_ she thinks as she shakes her head. She packs up all of her things, and doesn't really care if Chase returns and she's gone.

The walk back to Ariadne's apartment doesn't take too long, and she fumbles with her key as she opens the door. Immediately after entering, she throws all her bags on the couch, and collapses on the bed. School has been okay for her, but sometimes the studying, and the late night classes, has been getting the best of her. _A good cup of coffee always does the trick, _She thinks dryly.

She takes a cold shower and changes into her PJs. Even though its 8:00 at night, she gets ready to go to bed. Right before Ariadne turns off the light, a knock at the door stops her. Sighing, she gets up and answers it. A boy is standing on her doorstep, holding and small box with a card. "Er, yeah, hi, m'am" He says in a think French accent. "A man gave me 50 bucks to give this to you, so.." The boy says handing it over.

Ariadne stares at the box, obviously puzzled. "And, where was this man?" She asks him. "He was just-," The boy points the park. "He was just over there, but now he's gone" The boy says, now as puzzled as her. "You know what, I'll just take it, and you can just… go away" Ariadne drifts off. "Bye m'am" The boy says politely before running off into the darkness.

She closes the door, and sets the box on her coffee table, looking at it with interest. It's small, and she decides to open the card first. There's neat, elegant handwriting on the card, and it only says one word, "Sorry".

Confused, she opened the box, and in tissue paper, it's a scarf. But, she knows this scarf. It's _hers._ She remembers losing it, on the day she left the airport. She only noticed it was missing in the taxi, right after she said good-bye to…

Arthur.

She couldn't help smile. The scarf still felt as soft as she remembered, but it smelled different. Not different in a _bad_ way, but it smelled like soap, and cologne. Immediately she knew it was from him. She laid the scarf on her dresser, and laid down on her bed. She smiled, and fell asleep.

The next morning, Ariadne woke up earlier than usual. Got ready, and was out of the apartment within an hour. Only stopping to get a croissant form a local bakery, she makes a route to the Eiffel Tower. She only comes here once a month, and that's only to sketch it. She settles in an empty bench, only because it was early and the tourists haven't come out yet, she smirks.

Everything is fine, until Chase calls.

"Hey, I came back to the bench yesterday and you were gone. Everything okay?" He asks.

"Yeah, it's just it was late and I needed some rest" She replies plainly.

"Oh, well, hey, where are you? I can come meet you" He suggests.

Ariadne thinks about it, and decides not to tell him. "You know what it's oka-" She is cut off by a random fruit seller, trying to make her buy and apple in rapid French. "

"Ah hah! You're at the Eiffel Power. I can hear the annoying fruit guy" Chase chuckles. " No I'm not" She giggles back to him. "I'm coming. Stay there this time okay?" He asks. "Fine," Ariadne sighs. She hangs up, and looks at her sketch, and back to the tower, only to find a tall man standing in her way. "Um, excuse me sir?" She asks.

The dark-haired man turns a little, not enough for her to see his face, but he says, "Oh, sorry". Ariadne was looking at her sketch when he said that, and immediately after, her hand started shaking. She recognized this voice. She looked at the man again, this time more closely. Tall, dark hair gelled back, black suit and vest.

Her heart pounded against her chest.

"Arthur?"

**Hope you guys liked it : ) **


	3. Three

**Hi. **

**Thanks for everyone who read the first two entries of this. You guys keep me writing :) **

**Disclaimer:**** I do NOT own Inception. **

Chapter Two.

**Arthur. **

Everything was dead silence. A minute must have passed, and his heart rate was increasing every second that passed. He never knew he could a miss a voice that much. He spent the year travelling around the world, doing odd jobs here and there, and once doing a whole extraction job in Asia.

Her words still hung on the air, and he didn't know if he should just turn around and greet her, or if he should just walk away. He decided on the first option; Ariadne would surely follow him is he walked away.

Arthur lowered his head, and slowly turned around. She was on her feet, and the sketchpad she was once holding on the ground. Her eyes brightened the moment their eyes met. Arthur felt a smile twitching on his lips.

"It is you!" She smiled. He for once, didn't know what to say. It's not like, _hey! How are ya? Long time no see!_ This was much more awkward for that. Eames would have had some smarty comeback, but all he managed to mutter, "Yeah. Hi Ariadne".

**Ariadne. **

This was weird. Arthur was _here_, right in front of her. She dreamed of what she would say to him, but the words stuck to the back of her throat. "So how you've been?" She asked. Arthur snapped out of whatever he was in, and responded, "I've been good. Was in the states for a little bit after the Fischer job, travelled, and I stopped in Paris". Ariadne nodded, and he motioned for her to sit down.

He moved her sketch pad for her, and he started flipping through the pages. Ariadne was fine with it, only until she remembered the Arthur doodles in the back of the book. Frantic, she looked at what page he was on, he was close to them. She grabbed the book from his hands, and clutched it to her chest. "That's it" She croaked.

He shot her a smirk. "What's in the book Ariadne?" He asked smoothly. "Birds" She said, it was the first thing she thought of. "Birds?" He asked. She gulped, and nodded. He chuckled, and became very interested in his tie. Ariadne stuffed the book in her bag, and looked back at him. She studied his features secretly, and suddenly she remembered something.

"You sent me that box last night didn't you?" She blurted out. She didn't realize she was leaning into him before his head snapped up to look at her. Their faces were only inches away from each other's, and Ariadne could feel her heart pounding against her chest. She reached into her pocket, and gripped her chess piece. _This can't be happening _She thought.

**Arthur. **

He probably would have answered her question if not a hand gripped his shoulder and threw him back. Arthur looked at his attacker, and saw a boy, maybe only a little older than Ariadne herself. Arthur rolled up his suit shirt sleeves and looked at him.

"Leave my girlfriend alone" He said. Arthur felt his heart lurch. _Ariadne loved someone else _He realized. Arthur was easily a foot taller the n this man, and for some reason, the feeling was washed away by something else; anger, jealously, hatred. "Chase!" Ariadne cried out Arthur's eyes flicker to her, and then back to Chase.

"Nothing happened" He said through closed teeth. "Didn't look like nothing," Chase accused. Suddenly, Chase's fist shot out, aiming for Arthur's jaw. It was a blind shot, Arthur easily dodged, and punched his attacker's stomach. Chase stumbled, and looked back. Chase threw himself at Arthur. Arthur took most of the blow, only to grab hold of Chase's collar and punch him square in the jaw.

"Arthur!" Ariadne screamed. Her voice distracted him, and his grip on Chase loosened. Chase took this time to squirm out, and hit Arthur in the mouth. Arthur felt sometime metallic in his mouth. He touched his lip, and his fingers were red.

Cursing, he spit on the ground, and fully attacked Chase. Ariadne kept yelling, but Arthur couldn't hear her. He managed to hit Chase in the jaw again, and push him back. Chase glared at Arthur, and was about to tackle him if Ariadne hadn't jumped in front of Arthur.

"Move" Chase growled. Ariadne looked at Chase square in the eye and answered, "Stop it. Arthur is my friend". Arthur's spine tingled as his name and friend were mentioned in the same sentence. He almost felt like going up to Chase's face and yelling Hah!. But that would be unlike him. Instead, he kept glaring at Chase.

Chase and Ariadne glared at each other, but Arthur spit on the ground, and walked away. Before leaving though, he turned and pointed a finger at Ariadne. "We need to talk" He growled, just loud enough for her to hear. And with that he left.

**Ariadne. **

She watched Arthur's back as he left. "So you choose to defend him over me? Your own boyfriend?" Chase almost screams at her. "You didn't have to attack him!" She muttered. Chase was beaten up pretty bad, but all Ariadne could think of was Arthur. His last remark to her felt cold, and she couldn't help think he was mad at her.

Ariadne, grabbed her bag, and walked away from Chase. "Don't think about even calling me!" Chase yelled after her. _Really?_ She though dryly. She returned home, and made a beeline to the kitchen. She started the card in her hand, and the phone.

Ariadne dropped the card, and stumbled to her room. It was only 9 in the morning. _It was great to see Arthur again, but not like that _She thought. And to think she thought that Arthur had totally forgotten about her, not even bothering to call after a year. But she hadn't called him.

Sighing, she walked to the couch, and turned on the news.

_And now French authorites seem to be looking for a mssing man. He was reported last seen driving away from a popular French casino. If you have any details, or recognize this man, please call the police at 1-342-54… _

Ariadne looked at the screen to see which man had gone missing. She gasped. It was Eames.


	4. Four

**Hello! **

**Hi everyone, thanks for reading and all, you guys are great. Not to keep it long or anything, but thanks. Also, I wanna say hello to Legal-Assassin-006, thanks for reviewing every chapter I've managed to push out. : ) **

**Meghan. **

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Inception (Even though I wish) **

Chapter Four

**Ariadne. **

Three days. Three days it has been since Ariadne's encounter with Arthur. She's beginning to wonder if only said that to keep her away. _Eames is missing, Arthur shows up after a year, no word of Cobb or Yusuf. _It seems that all the members of the former team were keeping little, or no contact at all with each other.

But to her, it only makes sense. Extraction was an illegal business, and it was easier if they were looking for a whole team, instead of single individuals. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knocking. She only could hope that it was him. She opened the door, and on her doorstep was her close friend, Gabrielle.

"Hi" Ariadne managed to say. Gabrielle looked at her. Gabrielle was as tall as Ariadne, if only a little shorter, but she had blonde hair and blue eyes. Gabrielle looked at her. "Something wrong Ariadne?" She asks. Ariadne waved Gabrielle in, and sat down on the couch.

Gabrielle joins her, and watches her. "You haven't been like this since you came back from that business deal you had last year" She says. Ariadne had been down when she'd came back from the Fischer job, only because she lost the ability to dream, and with that she couldn't use the PASIV to make buildings reality never could handle.

"You could say this has something to do with that," Ariadne starts, only to be cut off by Gabrielle. "Boy-trouble?" She asks, eyebrows rising. "How-? How did you know that" Ariadne asks, surprised. "Trust me, I know" Gabrielle says, rolling her eyes. Gabrielle interns at a therapist.

"What's his name?" Gabby (Gabrielle) teased. "I don't know if I should tell you," Ariadne mumbled nervously. "I have been your best friend since freshman year. I covered for you when you slept in late and missed Peterson's lecture" Gabby smirked. _True,_ Ariadne thought. Mr. Peterson was probably the strictest teacher in the whole school.

"Okay, fine," Ariadne sighed. Gabby lit up like it was Christmas Eve. "Yeah, I met him on the business deal".

"Oooo, a business relationship" Gabby said, excited. "His names Arthur" Ariadne muttered.

"Arthur? Sounds mysterious"

"Tell me about it. The guy hardly ever smiles"

"Well, you say hardly, when _does_ he smile?" Gabby inquired. "When you're around?"

Ariadne paused. "Yes" She whispered. "But you know what's weird?"

"What, sounds like a soap opera to me…" Gabby muttered. "But anyway, what?"

"I saw him. Three days ago, at the Eiffel Tower" Ariadne tells her.

Gabby whistles. "Deep. What'd he do?"

"Well, for starters, Chase showed up and saw him talking to me. The Chase got all protective and attacked Arthur" Ariadne moans.

"Well, how badly hurt was Arthur. Chase was the star wrestler back in high school" Gabby asks.

Ariadne laughs bitterly. "Are you kidding me? Arthur only got his lip cut. Chase got the shit beat out of him"

"Damn girl, Chase must have been pissed. What did Arthur do after?"

"He just walked away, and before leaving, he pointed at me and almost yelled at me, 'We need to talk'"

Gabby noticed Ariadne start breaking down. Gabby grabbed her, and hugged her. "It's okay. Have you spoken to him yet?"

"No, I though he called by now, and I don't know what to do. It's not like I can study to pass the time by, schools finished, and Chase left me" Ariadne almost cried.

There was a knock at the door, and Gabby got up. "Hey, I'll get it. You stay here" She said. Ariadne nodded, and watched her friend walked out of the room, and into the hallway. Ariadne sat there, waiting. "Hello? Who are you?" Ariadne hears Gabby ask.

"Is Ariadne here?" Says a voice. Ariadne freezes. Suddenly she's up, and turns the corner. She facing the door now and Gabby is talking to the man. "Who are you?" Gabby asks again, this time seeing her. Gabby sees Ariadne's facial expression, and looks between them. "Arthur" Ariadne asks.

Gabby's eyes widened, and covers her mouth when she whispers the words to Ariadne, "He's the guy?"

Ariadne beckons for Gabby to leave, and she nods, inching between Arthur to get out the door. Arthur steps inside, and closes the door behind him. "I'm sorry for not calling sooner," He starts. "Its okay" She says awkwardly. "I should also say sorry about beating your,…. Boyfriend" He says, choking on boyfriend. "Well you shouldn't worry about that, he broke up with me after you left" Ariadne says dryly. She turns and walks into the living room, sitting down on the sofa where she and Gabby once were.

Arthur slowly follows her, taking in the appearance of the room. He sits beside her, but a respectful distance. "Why did you come to Paris Arthur? And don't give me the travelling bullshit. Everyone knows you hate travelling when you don't have to" Ariadne asks.

Arthur is surprised by her sudden attack, and regains his composure. "We've been asked to do a job, and we need an Architect" Arthur says. Ariadne doesn't know how to respond. Suddenly she remembers. "What about Eames. You would need a forger. Couple of days ago, they reported him missing" She asks.

Arthur smirks. "While Eames was gambling at the casino to celebrate the new job offer, he managed to piss someone off. Eames hid for a couple of days, but he's at the warehouse now" Arthur said.

"Oh, I thought something actually happened," Ariadne responds, now realizing how stupid she just sounded. Arthur nodded, "So are you in or out?" He asks. In a heartbeat's notice, she blurts out, "Yes, of course". The job would give her the chance to build again.

"Okay, can you be at the warehouse around one? We need to start planning" Arthur asks. "Yeah, easily" Ariadne responds. Arthur stands, and walks to the door. Ariadne closely follows, and stops at the door. He turns, and looks her in the eye. She still gets that same feeling as when they first met.

"Listen, I can't say how sorry I am that I never called, I pushed myself to call, but I just couldn't. And now I just show up in your life out of the blue, and just interrupt everything," He says, showing how stressed he was about the subject. "Arthur-" Ariadne tries to say, but is cut off by his rant of sorrow. "Arthur-" She tries again. He doesn't listen.

She makes up her mind, and wraps her hands around him. Stunned, he stops, and realizes she's hugging him. After a minute, she releases, and looks at him. "It's okay" She smiles. He smiles back, and Ariadne realizes that smiling was rare for him, and Gabby was right.

They just stand there, and it feels like she is somehow getting closer to him. "I should, ah, go back and tell Eames," He says after a minute. Ariadne nods, "Yeah, I'll be there". She watches him leave, and realizes that the door is open longer than it should be.

She closes it, and can't help feel… happy.


	5. Five

**Hello… **

**Thanks to everyone who's reading. You're great. This chapter is going to be more in Arthur's views since I feel Ariadne is getting more of the attention currently.. **

**Meghan. **

Chapter Five.

**Arthur. **

"She isn't coming darling," Eames says as Arthur paces. "No need to be so worked up about it". "I'm not worked up about this, only that she specifically said she'll be arriving at one. It's one-thirty and no signs" Arthur responds sharply. "Ever heard of 'running late'?" Asks Eames. "No, only being punctual" Arthur says. "Well, sorry, not all of us can be Mr. Stick-in-the-Mud Arthur" Eames mutters. Arthur feels like walking right up to Eames and punching him then and there, but it's quickly cast out as Ariadne walks into the warehouse, completely out of breath. "Eames!" She says as she sees the Englishman. "My favorite architect" He responds as she hugs him. "Sorry I'm late," She starts, only to be cut off my Arthur's expression. "You're here now, so let's get started" He says. "Isn't Cobb coming?" Ariadne asks. Eames laughs. "Love, Cobb retired. He would never come back after getting his kids back".

"Oh, okay," She mumbles. She takes a seat at her old desk, and Arthur pulls the whiteboard over and rolls up his shirt sleeves. "Okay, our mark is William Harrison, and our client, Gregory Bryd, thinks that Harrison has successfully created a car that if ever sold, Bryd could never compete. He would go out of business. It's a simple extraction, same set up, and were gonna need two floors" Arthur says, watching their faces if they understand what just came out of his mouth.

"Okay, what are the two levels going to look like? We need to know more about the mark before we can extract" Ariadne says, Eames nodding. Arthur reached for the files on his desk, and tossed them to Ariadne and Eames. "Has he been trained?" Eames asked, not looking up from the file. "Briefly, but not enough to worry about. He quit after thinking it was a waste of time" Arthur responds.

"How are we gonna get him alone long enough to put him on the PASIV?" Ariadne asked. "We could kidnap him like Fischer, only this time in reality?" Eames suggested. "Too dangerous. Harrison is going to have too much security," Arthur said, shooting it down. "Harrison recently just finished building a new factory in Sweden. To celebrate, he is hosting a party. We need to grab him at the party".

Eames nods. "Okay, make Ariadne dress in her Sunday best, and charm Harrison up to the hotel room" Eames says, eyebrows wiggling at her. Ariadne looks as if she wants to slap him. Arthur's heart stops when he realizes he's starting and she looks back at him. Their eyes met, and the back of Arthur's neck grew hot. He suddenly remembered something in the file. Arthur frantically flips through it as Ariadne yells/lectures Eames. "One thing I forgot to mention Eames," Arthur says, not looking up from the file. Laughter threatens to escape when he adds, "The mark is gay".

Arthur glances up to see Eames' face. Ariadne bursts out laughing. "There is no way I'm going gay" Eames bursts out. "Hey, Arthur," Ariadne says, his heat skips when she says his name. He raises an eyebrow in answer. "We should make Eames go in _his _Sunday best, and charm him up to the room" She says. "Hey! Why can't _you_ be gay?" Eames almost yells at Arthur. "He knows I'm straight! When I was tailing him at a café, he approached me and tried to make a move. I told him right away I was straight" Arthur backfires. "This sucks" Eames muttered. Arthur chuckled, and approached Ariadne.

She looked deep in thought and looks up at the sound of his footsteps. "Arthur?" She asks. "Yeah?" He responds, kneeling next to the lawn chair she was in. "If Eames is going to go in being, gay, wouldn't Harrison recognize him in the dream?" She asks. "Eames isn't going to go in with us. He going to watch over us while were under, and on the first level, you'll stay behind, and I'll be the only one going into the second, to extract the information" Arthur says. Arthur sees the look in her eyes, and lightly brushes his fingers across the palm of her hand. "You're going to be fine," Arthur says. She looks at him and nods.

She gets up and approaches her desk to start planning. He watches her go, and sits at him own. Reaching into his vest pocket, he pulls out the die. It should land on 4, and it does. Sighing, he tries to tie down his emotions. He still feels the same way about her as the time he first saw her, and realizes that this is the place. _Man, it's been so long since I've been here._ With a sudden thought, he realizes that this job is going to be a tough one.

Sorry for the short one, its only short because i'm still going to upload one at my usual time. Midnight-One (EST)


	6. Six

**Hello. **

**Hope you liked the last chapter ; ), I got the idea right when I was writing it, and I guess it kind of changes things so my story isn't like other ones where Ariadne has to be the one who seduces the mark. Thanks for reading, **

**Meghan. **

_**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Inception, even though I pretend sometimes….. (That's normal right?) **_

**Chapter Six **

Ariadne.

She answered the phone within two rings. "Hello?" She asked, putting the phone between her head and shoulder so she could flip the textbook page she was looking at. "How'd it go?" Asked an excited voice. It was Gabby. "What do you mean?" Ariadne asked, taking the phone from her shoulder and propping her head up with her hand. "You, Arthur, door?" Gabby tried to interrogate. "Ah! That. That went, well I guess" Ariadne said. "WELL? Are you kidding me? You haven't seen the guy for a year and it went WELL?" Gabby almost yelled into the phone. Ariadne removed the phone from her hear, and checked to see if she could still hear out of it. "Okay, he offered me another one of those jobs" Ariadne added, hoping to please Gabby. "Oooo, does this job mean, like, working _together?" _Gabby asked, very interested.

"Yes..." Ariadne mumbled. "Eek! He came back!" Gabby squealed. "For a job" Ariadne said, very mildly. "Can you give me a _little_ bit of information on these jobs of yours?" Gabby asked.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"A _teensiest bit?_"

"Maybe."

"Yay. Be right over"

"What?"

Gabby was over in less than 3 minutes. Ariadne wasn't surprised; Gabby lived two floors above her. "Tell me!" She said coldly as Ariadne opened the door. Ariadne sighed, immediately regretting her decision. Ariadne led Gabby to her cluttered bedroom, and sat down on the bed. "Well, you see, the thing is, the jobs that me and Arthur perform aren't exactly legal..," Ariadne said, searching her friend's face to see if Gabby was fine, or going to run. "Okay? Half the things I do aren't legal." Gabby replied, rolling her eyes. Ariadne opened her mouth in question, but closed it. "We work in a team of five, but put until recent events, four. What we do, is called extraction. We enter people's subconscious while their unconscious, and steal their secrets" Ariadne said after. Gabby looked very interested. "Whoa, does that mean, like, you're a thief?" She asked. Ariadne shook her head. "I wouldn't say thief, but only…," Ariadne tried. "Fine. I'm a thief"

Gabby let out a small scream. "I've always wanted a thief as a friend!" She laughs. "Okay…" Ariadne trails off. "So, please. Go on" Gabby says, suddenly serious. "Well, each of us has a job. I'm the Architect," Gabby rolls her eyes at this. "I build the dreams, and create how they look, and everything I guess. Eames, a man on the team, he's a Forger. In dreams he can change his appearance to the person who's subconscious we in. And, Arthur, he's the Point Man. He researches people, and makes sure everything goes within plan" Ariadne finishes. "Very interesting what you do," Gabby says. "Never expected it".

"You're not at all shocked at what I do? I steal people's secrets! I invade their subconscious!"  
>Ariadne almost yells. "With a very cute guy," Gabby pointed out. "Yes an-" Ariadne says, but cuts herself off. "Did you just call Arthur cute?"<p>

"Yes. And I think he is interested in you!" Gabby admits, her voice getting higher at the last couple words. "You're officially scaring me, and with that, get out" Ariadne says, seriously. Gabby shrugged, and left. Ariadne, shrugged, and changed. She should probably get over to the warehouse to work on the first level.

She arrived half an hour later, and only Arthur was there. He looked like a zombie pouring over the computer screen, stopping every now and then to write something down. She tried inching around him, but he saw her when going to write something. "Hi" She said. "Hello" He responds. His sleeves are rolled up, and Ariadne couldn't help feel something for him. "How'd Eames take it after I left?" She asked, awkwardly. "Well, you know him. He waits for the lady to leave before totally blasting off. He was furious, as expected I guess" Arthur says, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "So, what have you planned for the layout?" He asks. "Oh, I think I have the setup of them," She says, she walks to her desk, and can feel him following her. "For the first one, I felt we should do something where he's more comfortable. A car dealership. We could act as buyers, and get him while he's in his office. And then for your level, put him in the bank tha-" She says, "That he goes in every Thursday at five" Arthur said. "You do know I'm the one who made the file right?" He chuckled. "Haha," Ariadne laughed dryly. He's still behind her, and she can feel his breat against her neck. Shivers went down her spine, and her heart started getting faster. _No, not here._ She desperately thought. "Well yeah, you then do your thing and then get out of there" She says, turning around.

His eyes met hers once she turned around, and he didn't respond. "Arthur?" She whispered. Her heart kept getting faster, it felt like they were getting closer with each breath. He just looked into her eyes, and she felt like she could get lost in his. "Did I interrupt something lovebirds?" Eames voice echoes through the warehouse. Arthur jumps back as if something bit him, and Ariadne doesn't blame him. Eames is standing in the doorway, and large smirk on his face.

"What great timing you have Eames" Arthur chokes out. "I know! I was about to complement myself on it. And Arthur, you haven't seemed like yourself lately. Something change in your life?" Eames asked, eyes flicker back and forth from Arthur and Ariadne. Eames wanted it obvious, and Ariadne felt her cheeks getting hotter.

She mutters something about work, and interests herself in the drawings of the car dealership. Arthur clears his throat and returns to his desk. Very faintly, they both could hear Eames' voice echoing through the warehouse, "Awkward….". Ariadne laughs faintly, and touches up the drawing. _This should be interesting.._ She thinks.


	7. Seven

**Hi. **

**No intro or anything. I'm tired, and want to publish this as soon as it is done. Thanks for reading. Also, there's a song that could go into one of the parts in this chapter. Its "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch, some of you probably know it, some of you may not. **

**Meghan. **

Chapter Seven.

**Arthur.**

Arthur stayed away from Ariadne for the rest of the working day. Eames must have noticed, and when Ariadne left for the evening, he practically ran to Arthur's desk. "Someone likes our architect!" He exclaimed. "Shut up," Arthur muttered. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the googly eyes you make at her" Eames snickers.

"Eames, shut up. Shouldn't you be practicing being gay? Oh wait. You're perfect at that already" Arthur smirks, looking up from his computer. Eames opens his mouth and closes it possibly three times, trying to think of a comeback. He gives up, and narrows his eyes at Arthur and stalks away to his desk mumbling something about being gay. Arthur chuckles, and checks his watch. It's almost midnight, and he knows he should start getting ready to go back to his temporary apartment. He tries to say goodnight to Eames, but finds him dead asleep; his head lay on his desk, and feet still crossed. He mumbles something about Monte Carlo, but Arthur can't make it out. Without a word, he exits the warehouse, walks two blocks, and slides into his sleek car.

The car is elegant, nothing like Eames' bright sports car back in the states. Arthur backs up, and drives. On the way, he passes Ariadne's apartments, and couldn't help slow down. Everything is dead quiet. After only ten minutes of driving, he's at the apartment building and parks the car in the lot. Walking in, the doorman nods to him in greeting, and Arthur does the same out of politeness. Riding the elevator to the 6th floor he unlocks his apartment door, and tosses his suit jacket over an armchair.

Arthur's apartment just reflects the owner. Clean, spotless, and shows no emotion. Walking into the kitchen, he opens the refrigerator, and curses. He forgot to go food shopping again. After writing it down on a sticky note for future reference, he slowly makes his way to the bedroom. Losing his tie and shirt, he steps into the shower. He stays in there longer than he should have; standing there thinking about the job and the complications that came with it.

On the first level, it would be him and Ariadne. That would be fine up until it was time for him to go under to the second level. There, she would have to be alone for probably ten minutes. Thinking of the worst case scenario, she's killed and returns to reality. Arthur would be stuck without a kick, and would have to kill himself. Then he thinks of her. Somehow, even if he's thinking of something different, she would creep up in his head, and distract him.

Sighing, he steps out and changes for bed. It's almost one when he actually does close his eyes and fall into slumber. But something actually surprises him. It's not one of the normal dreamless nights he has, but he actually dreams.

He is sitting alone on a beach, the sun setting across the crashing waves. "Hello Arthur" Says a voice behind. He turns around, and sees Ariadne standing there. He knows she is just a projection of his mind because she is wearing a sundress. Ariadne would never wear a sundress willingly. Deciding to go with it, he smiles. "Hi" He breathes. Ariadne takes a step forward and joins him. They sit there for minutes until he breaks the silence. "I know you're just a projection. You're not real".

Ariadne looks into his eyes. Her eye seems to make him feel, safe. Something Arthur hasn't felt in a long time. _I can't tell you how much I love _you He thinks sadly. His swears his heart stopped, and she responds. "How can you be so sure? What if _here _is the real world. Here with me. Up there, I could never love you. You're just a man I work with. But, down here, we could be together, _forever_" She says. Arthur feels himself giving into her words. His mind tries telling him that she isn't real, but his heart says otherwise. He raises his hand to her cheek, and she smiles at the touch of it. "I can't" He whispers.

Suddenly, her eyes fill with anger, and she doesn't sound like herself when she speaks. "I can't imagine _ever_ loving you. You think you can waltz into my life and screw things up for me?" She yells. Shocked, he takes his hand from her face, and starts backing up. "I loved Chase, and you beat him up right in front of me! I _loved_ him, and because of you it's over!" She screams. "Ariadne," He manages to choke out. "Don't talk to me!" She screams at him. "Please," He almost cries. Somehow, she has a gun in her hand. Arthur scrambles to get out, but Ariadne is too quick. She shoots him in the chest, and he yells with pain. His eyes slam shut, but when he opens them, the pain is gone. Instead of on the beach with her, he's standing in the middle of a giant city. _This isn't a dream. It's a nightmare_ Arthur realizes with a cold fear.

But through the waves of people, he swears he can see her head, just walking on the street across the intersection from him. Franticly, he weaves his way across the crowd and street. Jumping up to see if he can still spot her, he can't He looks around, and sees her again, but she disappears. Again and again he swears he could see her, but it's only wrong. It's like she's _everywhere_ He thinks. Suddenly, he could see her face. Pushing people out of the way, he runs to her. She turns into an alley, and when he follows, she's not there. Rubbing the back of his neck, he knows his mind is playing with him.

Suddenly, he ears her voice behind him. Whirling around, he sees her, standing in the middle on the alley, blocking his exit. "Miss me?" She coldly asks before shooting him.

Arthur bolts awake. He is in apartment, and panicking, he franticly reaches for the die. Knocking it around a couple of times before actually grabbing it, he rolls it. His eyes watched every move it does before landing on the correct side. He does this 5 times before believing the totem. He gets up, and stumbles to the bathroom in complete darkness.

Turning on the lights, he rubs cold water on his face, and then looking at himself in the mirror. His usually gelled hair is wild and messed up all over his head, and he sighs. He checks the time, and decides to head in earlier than usual. Less than twenty minutes he's out of the apartment walking to his car. The whole ride to the warehouse is spent thinking about the dream. He can't help realize that all she said was probably true. He can't just think he'd walk into her life and things would start back up where they left off. He can't blame her if she is angry with him. But thinking of yesterday, he thinks she actually might not be angry with him.

His whole body was convinced that their lips would meet, but only.., Eames. Only Eames interrupted the whole thing. Eames. Eames could possibly be described as the worst colleague ever. Pulling up to the warehouse, he clears his head, and focuses on the Harrison job. Reaching out to unlock the door, he is alarmed that the door is already unlocked. Usually he is the one who would arrive first and unlock the door.

Reaching behind him, he pulls his gun out of the waistband of his pants and turns the safety off. Each step he takes into the warehouse, he is getting more and more alarmed. Suddenly footsteps echo off the walls to his right, and he sees the person who broke into the warehouse. The gun instantly points at the person, and Arthur is about to pull the trigger, when he sees that the person is only Ariadne. Her eyes are wide open, and the papers she was carrying are scattered across the floor.

Realizing what he has done, he throws the gun on his desk, and in two strides he is squatting next to her picking up the papers. When their fingers brush, his heart quickens. But he can't help think of his nightmare. _Could she ever be that angry? _He thinks, looking at her. She is staring at the files they just picked up, and she says, "Why do you look at me that way Arthur?". He's taken back by her question, and feels his neck getting warmer. "Wha- What do you mean?" He asks, perfectly knowing what she just said.

"I know when you look at me," She sighs. "You always have a different look than when you look at Eames or someone else". "Well, for starters, Eames is Eames. Of course I'm going to look at him a different way that when I look at you" He says, trying to worm his way out out of her questions. "Really? Then what happened yesterday between you and me?" She says. He was about to answer again, she adds quietly, "Why did you kiss me?".


	8. Eight

**Hi. **

**Thanks for reading : )**

**Meghan. **

Chapter 8

**Ariadne. **

Her eyes scanned his face after the words tumbled out of her mouth. He looked surprised at the question, and she could see the gears working in his head trying to come up with an answer that could worm his way out of her question. "Why did you kiss me?" She asked again, noticing the way his eyes couldn't stay in one spot while him being nervous. A hand when up to the back of this neck, and he couldn't make eye contact with her.

She didn't know why she said it, it just came out. Thousands of times she'd gone through it in her head what she would say to Arthur about the kiss. Did he feel something for her? That made her heart start racing even at the thought of him liking her. Finally, it looked like he was about to say something. "It seemed the right thing to do at the moment I guess. It's just the stress of the whole inception job, I'm sorry if that ever made things complicated for you,…" He said, not meeting her eyes again.

Her heart fell. _It was just the stress of the job_, she thought. Of course, someone like Arthur could never go for her. And did it make things complicated? HELL YES! She'd hadn't only spent the couple of weeks after the inception job trying to figure it out, but it took three months for her to stop telling herself she wasn't in love with the guy. By those terms, she would say it made things complicated.

"Oh. I see," She weakly responds to him. "I'm gonna go make the model of the bank". "Okay," He says. She could feel his eyes on her back as she walked to her desk, and the last thing she wanted him to see was her eyes getting wetter by the minute. Positioning herself so her back was to him, she started sculpting the bank/maze out of Styrofoam.

It was easy enough for her, making the maze. Sometimes she felt as if she'd get lost in it, never the less Arthur. She cringed. Just hearing his name made her heart sink. Why did she have this way about him? Why couldn't it have been Chase? Her boyfriend that yeah, made her feel uncomfortable at times, but he actually loved her, unlike the other human in the warehouse.

She glanced over at him, and he was looking through the files. _Of course, married to his work_ she smirked mentally. By the time Eames arrived, she was done with the layout of the Bank model, and was starting to improve the general idea of it. "Where have you been? You were supposed to be here three hours ago" Arthur says the moment Eames walks in. "Once again, _sorry _Arthur. None of us can wake up in the morning and be ready to leave the door in ten minutes like Mr. Perfect" Eames teased. "Ariadne got here before me and she looks perfect as always" Arthur says back, not realizing what he just said. Eames raised an eyebrow at him, and turned to Ariadne. "You got here before him?" He says with wide eyes. Ariadne was still in shock about what Arthur said.

_Perfect as always?_ She couldn't help blush, and glance at him. Arthur was also turning red behind his neck. Well, this changes thing doesn't it?

**Arthur. **

Arthur couldn't believe what just came out of his mouth. Of course he thinks she _always _looks good, but he'd never thought he would admit it. She didn't answer Eames, so he interrupted. "Eames where exactly have you been?" Arthur asks. "Well let's just say I was gambling last night darling," Eames said, winking at gambling.

Arthur shakes his head and returns to the file. Harrison was briefly trained, never thought it was important, he has a wife and twins on the way, dog called "Jules", his current address, and the fake name of his drug supplier. _Wait, what? _Arthur returns to the last note, and checks it out again. Ever since the death of his 3-month year old son, he has been buying drugs to sell at dirt cheap prices. A light went off in Arthur's head, and he figures out a plan to extract the information from Harrison.

"Eames? Could you look at this for a second?" Ariadne calls behind him. It weird to him, usually its Arthur that Ariadne calls over to look at things. But, she must be furious at him for what he told her earlier, and then what he said about her just now.

The first part was a lie, but the second part was all true. The only reason he had kissed her on the second level, was because he knew they would be forced to be separated after the job, and Arthur _had _to know what kissing her felt like. Memories stirred as he recalled that moment. The brief second their lips brushed, he had known it was a life changing moment.

"Arthur? Darling, you look like some hobo who was just given a thousand dollars" Eames voice shuts down the memory, and Arthur is left glaring at Eames. "Once again, horrible timing" He mumbles. Eames laughs dryly, and skips over to Arthur's desk. He grabbed Arthur's shoulders and shook him. "Something happened between you and Ariadne hmm?" He says, quiet enough to only make it audible to Arthur. "I have no idea what you are talking about, and stop touching me. This is my favorite vest" Arthur tells him, brushing off Eames' hands. "Please. I can see the tension between you too, and it was only obvious she was trying to avoid you when she called me over and not you" Eames adds.

Arthur was ready to punch Eames, but refrained himself from doing so. "Can you please just go away?" Arthur asks him. Eames eyes Arthur suspiciously, and leaves.

The rest of the day was mostly spent with Arthur trying to figure out ways to talk to her without Eames being around. Of course, he couldn't wait until the next morning, so when Ariadne stood and announced she was leaved, he saw his opportunity. "I'll drive you," He said, standing. Eames' voice could be heard from his desk, "Oooo, my favorite show is on". "Arthur, its fine. I always walk home later than this" She says, avoiding his gaze. "No, Ariadne. It's almost pitch black outside, and have you heard of the serial killer who was last reported around here?" He asks, making that last part out.

Her eyes widen a little, but she regains her composure. "Please, I know how to defend myself" She says, waving it off. In seconds, Arthur is behind her, pinning her arm behind her back. "Really? Because if I was the killer, you'd have a knife in your body by now" He whispers in her hear. He hears Eames eating something that sounds suspiciously like popcorn. Ariadne tries to say something, but her shoulders sag in defeat.

The walk out to his car is quiet, and when he gets in the driver's seat, she's still standing outside. He leans over the passenger seat, and opens the door. "You coming?" He asks. She wakes up from whatever she was thinking about, and slides into the seat. "Your car reflects you" She says, looking around. "Really? I only bought the car out of more privacy reasons that reflecting ones" He says, looking out the rearview mirror.

The ride to her apartment is spent by him trying to make a friendly conversation with her. "Right here," She says when he turns onto her block. He mentally smirks, _I know._ His feeling of amusement is soon buried by the fact that he sounds much like a creepy stalker.

He walks with her to her apartment, and she unlocks the door. But before she enters her apartment, he grabs her arm. "Ariadne, this morning, I couldn't help feel you were mad at me after our….chat" He says, looking steadily into her eyes. "Arthur, it's okay. I shouldn't have asked you that. I'm fine, I'm not mad at you, it's okay" She says looking anxious to go inside.

"No, it's not okay," He says a little too sharply than he would have liked. "Arthur-" Ariadne tries saying, but is cut off by him. "Please. Let me finish," He says, keeping her gaze. "This morning, I lied to you about the kiss. It's just, I knew we were going to be separated after the job, and there was the chance I would never see you again. And before that could ever happen, I just had to know. I had to know what kissing you felt like," He says, realizing he's starting to ramble.

He looks at Ariadne, looking for any signs of emotion. The only thing he could detect was a flicker of surprise and then, happiness. "Arthur, is this true?" She asks quietly. He could only nod. Ariadne takes a deep breath, and looked at him. "Arthur, you know you would never see me again, knowing you," She smiles, "You would somehow find a way to creep up in my life, job or no job". Arthur sighs with relief. "You're probably right," He says, losing his will to not grin. "And I should go, you need to sleep and stay alert now since the job is coming up in a couple of weeks".

"Okay," She agrees, "Goodnight Arthur". "Goodnight Ariadne" He smiles before leaving. He turns and walks to his car, almost jumping.

He'd finally done it.

The next day, Arthur got up earlier than usual, and arrived at the warehouse first. He sits down at his desk, and walks over to Ariadne's to check out what she had been planning for the bank level. Hours seem to pass without her arrival. Worry starts creeping up in the back of his mind, but he pushes it away. But, panic begins to set in once Eames arrives, and still no show of Ariadne.

"Where's Ariadne? She'd said she would be here early to show you the level" Eames asks, once figuring out that he wasn't the last one to arrive. "I actually don't know, I probably called her cell phone a hundred times, but she never picks up," Arthur says nervously. "Did you try her home?" Eames asks, picking up on Arthur's panicked tone. "Yeah, still no answer,"

"I'm going to go to her apartment and see if she's there, okay?" Arthur adds before Eames could respond. "Try not to burn the warehouse down while I'm gone," He says before leaving. Arthur jogs to his car, and speeds to Ariadne's place. He climbs up the stairs to the second floor, and when he approaches her apartment, he finds the door wide open.

Startled, he silently approaches it, and steps inside. "Ariadne?" He softly calls. He hears footsteps coming from the bedroom, and expects to see her face, but he is met by her friend, Gabby. "Wait, Arthur?" Gabby asks. "Yes, now where's Ariadne? She was supposed to meet us earlier" Arthur says. Once he says it, Gabby's eyes begin to fill with tears. Her mouth opens, and Arthur's legs almost buckled.

"Didn't you hear? Ariadne was attacked this morning"

**Oooo, the suspense. But of course I know what happens and blah blah blah, but the fun part is, you don't! So please review, and that will probably make me write faster. Thanks!**


	9. Nine

**Hi. **

**Honestly, I'm happy with the reviews. Special thanks to Legal-Assassin-006 and .. They reviewed within like half an hour of Chapter 8 being published. Thanks : ) **

**Meghan. **

Chapter Nine.

**Arthur. **

Arthur ran out of the apartment, and jumped in the car. Stuck at a red light, he dialed Eames' cell phone. "And why would you _ever_ bother to call me?" Eames voice says after a couple rings. "Ariadne is in the hospital" Arthur says, making the car leap forward as the light changed. "What?" Eames asks, obviously surprised. "Yeah, she was attacked this morning" He says, now pulling into the nearest hospital. After much thought, he decided they would probably take her here. "You know what hospital she's at?" Eames asks. "The, uh, hospital down on west street" Arthur responds, forgetting the actual name of the hospital. "I'm on my way" Eames says, his voice turning more serious.

Arthur approaches the front desk of the hospital, and the nurse looks up at him. "Can I help you?" She asks. "Yeah, I'm looking for an Ariadne Nichols. She is here isn't she?" He says, trying to look at the patient list by her elbow. The nurse looks at him for a second, and starts typing at the computer. "Yes, here she is. Ariadne Nichols, floor 7. Ask the nurse upstairs for the room number and visitor sign in.

Arthur nods in thanks, and finds the elevators. Punching the button to the seventh floor, he stands there watching the floor number go up. Finally, the doors open and Arthur steps out into a waiting area type setting. He goes to the nurse, and again, asks for Ariadne. "Room 29, and name please," The nurse says. "Arthur Clarke" He says, anxious to get to Ariadne. The nurse types his name in, and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, you can't go in right now. She already has a visitor".

"What? Who is it?" Arthur asks, his eyes narrowing. "A, Chase Robinson?" The nurse said, looking at the log to be correct. Arthur whips around, and storms into the hallway. "Mr. Clarke! You can't go in there!" The nurse calls after him. Ignoring her, he finds room 29 and peers into the window. Sure enough, Ariadne is in the hospital bed, but with Chase sitting on the chair next to her.

His fingers curled into fists, and his fingernails bit into the skin of his palms. Slowly, he turned the door knob, and coolly stepped inside. Chase looked up, and Arthur saw he still had cuts on his face from their last encounter. Ariadne was sleeping, and Arthur was glad she would miss this. "What are _you_ doing here?" Chase spit at Arthur, standing. "Well, I should direct that question to you since last time I've heard, you two separated" Arthur responded, never dropping Chase's eyes. Chase narrowed his eyes at him.

"It was your entire fault we split. If you hadn't attacked me, then-" Chase was cut off by Arthur's chuckles. "Attacked you? Are you serious? _You're the one who attacked me_" Arthur said through his chuckles. "So what? Are you and her, like together?" Chase asked quietly. Arthur was surprised at the question. "No, I wouldn't call it that" Arthur responded. Suddenly, Eames walked into the room. "Arthur? How's she doing?" He said. Eames saw Chase and inched over to Arthur's side. Chase looked quizzically at Eames, and shook his head. "I shouldn't have even been here," Chase mumbles, and steps around Arthur to the door. He opens the door, and looks back at Arthur. "This doesn't change anything, Mr. Clarke. You caused all this to happen" He said coldly. Chase walks out the door, slamming it behind him.

"What was all that about?" Eames asks. "I don't know," Arthur mutters. He takes Chase's chair, and Eames sits in a chair across from the bed. "You know how she's doing?" Eames asks again.

"No, but by the looks of things she only got beat up"

"Ah. So how long will this take?"

"As long as it needs"

"Your going to stay here until she wakes up aren't you?"

"That's the plan"

"Okay, I'll just sit here. In silence. Watching you stare at her. All alone. In this corner. By myself"

"Eames," Arthur sighs, "You can go whenever you want"

**Ariadne. **

The bright lights sting her eyes as she flutters them open. Slowly, she takes in her surroundings. The chairs across from her bed are empty, but she knows Eames was there. Ariadne feels a slight pressure by her feet, and she looks to her left. Her eyes rest upon Arthur's sleeping form, and his feet propped on her bed. It takes a minute for her to realize that it's dark outside, and Arthur's probably been here the entire time. _He looks so peaceful, _She thinks. He finally actually looks relaxed, instead of the up-tight point man she is getting used to more often.

"Arthur?" She whispers. He doesn't wake. Sighing, she looks out the door, and sees Eames winking at her. He brings his finger to his lips, gesturing for her to be quiet. He slowly opens the door, and closes it. Positioning himself right behind Arthur's body, and yells into his ear, "ARTHUR!". Arthur almost falls out of the chair, jumping at the scream.

Ariadne giggles, and Arthur looks at her. "Your finally awake," He sighs. "How long was I out?" She asks. "You know, only all day" Eames chuckles. "Wow, what happened?"

"We were going to ask you the same thing. What do you remember?" Arthur asks, suddenly getting serious. "I-I was walking over to the warehouse," She starts. "And, I was going through a parking lot, when-when these two guys approach me,". "Did you recognize them?" Eames says, walking over to the other side of her bed. "Chase was one of them," She says, and Arthur stiffens. "But, he never hit me, he only yelled, and yelled". "Them, who hit you?" Arthur says quietly. "It was Chase's friend, Wilhelm. After Chase was yelling at me asking me why I chose you over him, Wilhelm hit me from behind, and after a couple hits, everything just went," Ariadne says, quietly trailing off. "Black" Eames says solemnly. Ariadne nods.

Arthur grips her hand, and she couldn't help think of last night. He actually said something that gave her a clue to what he was feeling. It wasn't hatred, but love. "How bad do you feel?" Arthur asks. "Not too bad, it's just my left arm, its hurts like hell," She responds, lifting her arm to see that it was fully bandaged. "What happened to it?" She asks, in shock. "The was a major cut, doctors had to wrap it to prevent infection" Arthur responds. She looks into his eyes, and she sees that he only wanted to protect her. "Will I be okay for the job?" She says, worried. "Yeah, it should heal in a couple weeks. Also, their letting you leave tomorrow afternoon" Eames says. Suddenly, she drops her head back onto the pillows, closing her eyes. "Are you okay?" Arthur asks, his voice filled with worry.

"Gabby is going to be pissed"

**Mech. Not one of my better ones. This was just more like a filler. Byeee**


	10. Ten

**Hi. **

Wow. Chapter Ten already? Feels like I uploaded chapter one only yesterday, but of course I didn't.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inception.

**Meghan. **

Chapter Ten

**Ariadne. **

She planned to surprise them when she walked into the warehouse that morning. Her doctor agreed to let her own early, only if she didn't over work her left arm. Over and over, she promised him, and was delighted when she saw Gabby's car pull up to the hospital. "Ariadne! You're okay!" She squealed as Ariadne got in the car. "Of course I am Gabby. I would die on you until I've been your maid of honor" She joked. "Well, Ariadne. By the looks of things I'm going to be yours before you're going to be mine" Gabby giggled. "What? Is this about Arthur?" Ariadne accused, staring at her friend while she was driving. "Maybe. That night before you were, you know, attacked, I put my spy skills to the test" Gabby said mischievously.

"You didn't!"

"I had to know what kissing you felt like" Gabby says, failing at mocking Arthur's voice.

"And your point is?"

"He feels something for you Ariadne. Something more than Chase ever could. If it was me in your shoes, honey, I wouldn't let this man go"

"You're starting to sound like my mother,…" Ariadne murmurs.

"If I was your mom Ariadne, I'd be whipping you with a belt because of your foolishness" Gabby says, serious dropping in on her voice. "Can you just drop me off here? The place where I work is on the next block" Ariadne says, trying to get out of the conversation. "You're already going back to work? Oh yeah. _Arthur is going to be there!_" Gabby giggled. "Shut up!" Ariadne said, softly punching her friend's arm. Gabby pulled up to the warehouse, and looked at it. "This is where you work?" She asked. "Yeah. What's wrong with it?" Ariadne said. "Well, it's just, I thought because of Arthur's expensive suits you would work somewhere, well, nicer" Gabby admitted. "Well no. This is where I work and, get out of here! Don't you have classes?" Ariadne asks. "Oh right" Gabby says, driving off.

Ariadne opened the door, and peered inside. Arthur was talking to Eames about something Eames was holding. "Hi guys," She said, stepping into the warehouse. Arthur turns and faces her, and small smile appearing on his lips. Ariadne walks over to them, and Arthur surprises her by giving her a small hug. "Nice to see you're back early" He whispers in her ear. Ariadne smiles in response, and says hello to Eames. "So, what were you two talking about?" She asks, eyeing the shape in Eames' hand. "It's a sedative that Yusuf sent us. He says he tested it out, and it should make dreams with two levels more stable. Stable enough that if you die, no limbo, but you'd wake up back on the first level" Eames said, showing her the chemical. "Cool," Ariadne says, trying to find words to describe it. "Let's just say if Arty over here screws up, we won't have to worry about it"

"I see, and I've been wondering. The kick that I have to give Arthur, what is it going to be?" She asks. "When the timer is down to two minutes, you are going to play the music. I have to be awake on the

first level in order to ride Eames' kick back up" Arthur explains.

"So basically I just play music for you?"

"Yep" Came Arthur's reply.

"You should probably show me the levels today, so if we have to make adjustments we can" Arthur adds after a slow silence. "Okay," Ariadne says slowly. She walks over to a lawn chair, and realizes how long it's been since only she and Arthur were under. Alone.

He carefully slips the IV under her skin, and does the same for his. "Eames?" He asks the Englishman. Eames nods, and presses the button. Ariadne could feel her body start relaxing. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was standing next to Arthur in an expensive looking car dealership. "Good job," He said, looking around. "Does it look like somewhere you'd buy a car?" She teased. Arthur says something that she couldn't hear, and she pulled him down a long hallway. "This is the maze part, Harrison's office is to the right, down the second hallway, and three doors down on the left" Ariadne said as she led him through it. There were lots of small hallways and offices that all looked the same.

"I could easily see someone getting lost in here," Arthur says once they reach Harrison's fake office. "That's the point right? Or to hide" She responds, agreeing with him. "Ariadne, your wonderful" Arthur smiles, at that moment, Ariadne could feel her heart melt. "I should say the same about you. You're the one Eames wants to kill because of how good you do your job" She winks back. Arthur quietly laughs. Ariadne suddenly realizes that she's never heard him laugh, only that small chuckle he gives off sometimes.

"He still that pissed about being gay?" Arthur asks. Ariadne dramtically sighs, and looks up at him. "Yes. I can hear him cursing your name sometimes when you're out" She says, laying sarcasm heavily in her voice. Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Wow Ariadne. Never heard sarcasm in your voice before" He said playfully. Ariadne shook her head. "Yes you have, you're just toying with me" She said, narrowing her eyes. Somehow, he got from being across the room from her to stand directly in front of her. And by directly infront of her, she means like, she could feel his breath.

"How do you do that?" She asked, looking up to meet his eyes. "What?" He asked mischeviously. "You know, get from there to here in a blink of an eye" She said, eyeing him. "Wait.. you don't have teleportation powers I'm not aware of right?"

Arthur chuckled. "Not that I'm aware of," He said. He looked into her eyes, and suddenly he bent down and kissed her forehead. "Come on, we should be waking up soon" He said. Ariadne nodded, thinking to herself, _why does he do this to me?_ With a smirk, she realizes that he only does it to annoy her.

_Sorry it hasn't been good in a while, I think I'm having temporary writers block :/ _

_I'll make the next chapter good though… I hope…_


	11. Eleven

**Hi. **

_Hello everybody! What's happening in your neck of the woods? In mine, I'm perfectly fine ; ) Once again, like always, THANK YOU for reading and for those who reviewed. And, for those who haven't, review like crazy! : D _

**Meghan. **

Chapter Eleven

**Arthur. **

The past three weeks have been busy. Usually, Arthur is okay with a busy week, but he knows it is a super busy one when he can't remember the last time he had a full night's rest. Coming out of the dream with Ariadne was fine, up until Eames started complaining again. "Can you pass it by me once again why I have to be the gay one?" He says immediately when Arthur sits down at his desk. "Because Ariadne would do no good with Harrison. He knows I'm straight, and also I'm going into the dream so he would recognize me. You're the only one would be able to do it" Arthur says, not even looking up.

"But-, what if-, you-, you!" Eames stutters. "You purposely did this!" He almost yells. "I-I did not," Arthur says, trying not to laugh. Of course he did it on purpose. It was perfect payback for all the times he teased and pranked Arthur. "Yes you did!" Eames yells now. Ariadne walks into the room, looking at Eames standing over Arthur. "Are you guys okay?" She asks.

"Everything's fine. Go back to work," Arthur waves her off. "_Everything is not bloody okay!"_ Eames screams. Ariadne takes a step back from Eames. "Eames, cool it. What'd he do?"

"He purposely set me up being gay!" Eames points at Arthur. "Are you serious?" Ariadne exclaimed. "No, that's a lie" Arthur says, looking on the verge of hysterics. Ariadne gasped. "You didn't!"

"Your right! I didn't!" Arthur said again. "You lie!" Eames screams now. "Eames, just back off already!" Ariadne says, stepping forward to stand behind Arthur. Eames narrows his eyes, and stalks away. Still staring at Eames' back, she says, "You did it didn't you?". "Yep" Arthur responds, sounding very smug of himself. "You are an evil little man" Ariadne giggles, walking away. "Little!" Arthur exclaims, turning around only to see her walk away. But of course, that was three weeks ago, and now today, it was only three days left until their plane left for Sweden.

Arthur was standing in his apartment packing suits when his phone started buzzing. "Arthur speaking" He said, not even looking at the caller ID. "Yeah, hi Arthur it's me, Ariadne" She said, sound nervous. "Ariadne? What's the matter? You sound nervous" He asked as he stopped packing. "Hm? Oh, no, I'm actually fine it's just," She stopped.

"It's just?"

"I don't have a dress for the gala in Sweden"

"What? That's is what you been bothered by?" He asked, trying not to chuckle. "Can't your friend, Gabby? Help you with finding one?"

"Well yeah, I guess but,"

"Hey! Just do it okay? You won't contract an incurable disease from trying on a dress" Arthur cuts her off.

Arthur could hear sighing on the other end. "Do it Ariadne, you won't regret it"

"Fine, I'll go call Gabby"

Arthur smiled. "Bye Ariadne"

"Bye Arthur"

Arthur hung up and continued to pack. He thought about how Ariadne freaked out at the smallest thing. It was one of the things he kinda liked about her. He could always stand beside her and tell her it's okay. Then he thought about how much she would freak out when she finds out that he has to be her date. He couldn't help smile. In the past week, Eames has been telling her that she would be going alone, one of his games to see the look on her face.

Eames stopped giving Arthur the cold shoulder after a week, and lately he has been acting kinder to him. Arthur grew suspicious of Eames' actions, but he stopped after Arthur walked into the warehouse one day, only to be doused with ice cold water. Turned out, Eames only acted nice so Arthur wouldn't doubt him.

Arthur smiled at the memory. Of course, at the time, Arthur was FURIOUS! But over the time, Arthur learned to mentally laugh. "Arthur open up!" Yelled a certain British voice. Arthur sighed and walked to the front door. Only opening it an inch, he narrows his eyes at Eames. "Go away" He says, closing the door. "Come on Arty! Darling!" Eames yells at the door. Arthur's eyes widened, and raced to open the door. "Eames! Shut up! We all know you are, but they're going to think I'm gay!" He almost screamed as he opened the door.

"That was the point!" Eames said enthusiastically smirking. He pushed Arthur out of his way, and entered the apartment. "Nice apartment. It suits you" Eames said, taking in the décor. "Thank you, and how did you find out where I live?" Arthur asked. "You know, you're not the only one who can do research on someone" Eames smirked. "Leave Eames. Leave" Arthur growled. Eames looked surprised. "Arthur I have to tell you something about the gala!" Eames almost shouted as Arthur pushed him out the door. "Arthur! I have to tell you" Eames shouted at the slammed door in his face. Arthur locked the door, and heard Eames leave.

_Crazy little man _Arthur smirked.

Sorry it's a little short only that my writing time has been cut tonight. Next one will definitely be longer.


	12. Twelve

**Hi **

_**Hello everybody, this chapter is going to be more like a fluff chapter for Arthur/Ariadne, so...yeah. **_

**Meghan. **

Chapter Twelve.

**Ariadne. **

She was about to leave for the airport when someone knocked on her door. Ariadne set down her bad on the couch, and opened the door. "You look like you're going somewhere" Gabby said suspiciously as she opened the door. "Yep, and this matters because…?" Ariadne asked. "Because your birthday is tomorrow and you're not even going to be here!" Gabby stated harshly. _Crap, how could I forget about my own birthday?_ Ariadne asks herself. And of all the 365 days in the year, her birthday had to be on the night of the gala.

"You forgot didn't you?" Gabby asked raising an eyebrow. "No, it's just you could say I'm not looking forward to it" She responded, letting her friend in. "Okay, I could relate to that, but why do you have to go?" Gabby asked, sitting down on her couch. "It's for work," Ariadne said, fighting back the urge to say, 'for that job'. "You could say there is going to be a party tomorrow night in Sweden".

"Nice, Sweden? At least this time you're telling me where you're actually going" Gabby smirked. Ariadne sighed, and realized she'd left the door open. Walking out to close it, she stops to see Arthur standing in the doorway. "Arthur? What are you doing here?" She asks. Behind her, Gabby pokes her head out from behind the wall. "I came to see if you needed a ride," He said nervously, eyeing Gabby. "Yeah, sure. I was actually about to leave before she came by" Ariadne responded. "Okay, I'll stay in the car" He nodded, walking back towards his car.

Ariadne sighed, and walked back to her bag. "You like him don't you" Gabby teased. "Maybe," Ariadne said quietly. "Does he know?" She asked. "About what?" Ariadne said, not even choosing to think about the question. "That you're pregnant!" Gabby said bluntly. "What?" Ariadne almost yelled. Gabby was cracking up. "Does he know that you like him? And that your birthday is tomorrow? Wait, is he going to be at the party?" Gabby said after catching her breath.

"No, no, and yes" Ariadne responded, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Oh my gosh, do a favor for me, and PLEASE at least dance with him at the party?" Gabby asked wide eyes as Ariadne walked out the door. "I can't guarantee that" Ariadne smirked. She was about to close the door, but stopped before she said, "Watch my apartment for me while I'm gone". Gabby nodded, and Ariadne left.

Walking to his car, she softly threw her bag in the back seat, and slid into the passenger seat. Pulling onto the freeway, he finally broke their silence. "Eames is already in Sweden, he left last night" Arthur said, glancing at her. Ariadne nodded, and asked, "So, the Gala. Harrison is throwing it for his new factory?". "Yeah, also he's selling his famed artwork collection for charity money. Hence, the name 'gala'" Arthur smiled. "I should have seen that one coming," She smirked.

Arthur chuckled and pulled into short term parking. "Come on," Arthur said, pulling out his small carry on. Ariadne followed, pushing her duffel bag up on her shoulder. "You pack light" He said, looking at her bag. "I should say the same for you" She smiled.

Ariadne looked at the first sign she saw. "Welcome to Sweden". Of course, it was in Swedish, so she had to read the translation underneath it. "So where's the hotel?" She asked, stepping out of baggage claim to follow Arthur. "It's at the place where the gala is being held, twenty minutes from here, give or take" He said, looking for a specific car. Finally he saw it. Arthur raised his hand and waved it at the car.

It was a regular black town car, and Ariadne looked to see who the driver was. She smiled when she saw Eames' smirking face looking at her. She slid into the backseat, and Arthur in the front seat. "How was your flight? Romantic I hope" Eames said the last part under his breath. Arthur caught it, and glared at Eames. The rest of the car was spent with Ariadne sitting the back, staring out the window as Eames navigated the car through the city. Finally, the car pulled into an expensive looking hotel, and Eames let the valet park it.

She followed the two boys to into the hotel, and smiled at a hotel employee who said in strained English, "Welcome to Stockholm". The elevator ride was short, only going up to the 9th floor. "The gala is on the 5th floor, and partly the 6th. "Partly?" Ariadne asked. "The ceiling is raised, also balcony" Eames responds, stepping out of the elevator. He led Arthur and Ariadne to the hotel rooms, right next to each other, and said good-bye. Ariadne nodded, and stepping inside. She gasped when she saw how nice the room was. The walls where a navy blue, and the bed was a nice white color. She smiled and threw her bag on the bed. She showered and changed. You could say it was early in the evening for someone to sleep, but according to the jetlag, it was way too late for her to stay up.

The next day, she practically did nothing until the evening. Sure, Arthur came by in the morning, and told her to stay in the room so she wouldn't have to be seen or recognized. Ariadne of course, was fine, so she spent the next 9 hours of the day watching Swedish/English re-runs. Finally, it came the time she decided to get ready.

**Arthur. **

He checked himself again, looking in the mirror. For some reason, it actually didn't feel like they were going to perform a job tonight. But of course, he knew it, and knew that it would be a rough night, especially for Eames. Arthur smirked at the thought of the Brit being gay tonight. He opened the hotel door, and hoped the next time he would see this room was after the job was done, and they were leaving for a plane back to France.

Fixing his bow tie on his tux for maybe the hundredth time, Arthur knocked on her door. Waiting for her to open up, he took in his surroundings. Hallway, very closely to looking like the one in the Fischer job, about 8 doors on each side of hallway, two elevators on each end. Finally, she opened up, and Arthur had to catch his breath when he saw her. To be exact, Arthur was amazed. She was wearing a black dress that hugged her curves in Arthur's opinion all the right ways, and her hair was half-down, half-up. "Arthur?" She asked at the sight of him. "Hi,.. You ready?" He asked, clearing his throat. "Yeah, I was about head down, why are you…?" She responded. "I'm your date" He smirked, loving her surprised face.

"Oh really?" She said quietly. He nodded, and she stepped out of the room. He led her to the elevator, and punched the 5th floor button. Standing there quietly, he stole a glance at her. She was looking up at him when he did so, and her cheeks turned a faint red. He smiled, and the doors opened. He looked at her again, and met her eyes. "Shall we?" He smirked. She smiled back.

"We shall"

Mah! The start of the Gala Job. : D


	13. Thirteen

**HIIIII! **

_Shh, I'm tired right now (more than I'm usually am) and right now as I write this, is 10:43 where I live, and for those who read these chapters RIGHT after them being published, they know its early in the evening. And also, giving big shout-outs to:: _

_. Legal-Assassin-006 Cupcakebakingunicorns Moviemaniac12 _

_By the way… this chapter might be cursed….. this is Chapter 13, and the day I'm writing it on is Friday…._

**Meghan. **

Chapter Thirteen.

**Ariadne. **

Ariadne gasped as Arthur led her into the Gala. Everything had a soft, gentle feel, and the architecture had no sudden points or corners. All the doors were arches, and the balconies were half circles. On his arm, Ariadne followed him to the bar. While he was watching something behind her, she took the time to look at him. "There's our mark," He whispered after three minutes of watching. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw a man, early thirties by the looks of it, talking to other, well, men.

"_That's_ Harrison?" She asked, surprised. "Yeah, who'd you expect?" Arthur chuckled, looking at her. "Well, first of all, I didn't expect him to be so," She said, looking for the right term. "Young?" He finished for her. Ariadne nodded, and Arthur answered her question, "The possible reason why he became a billionaire at twenty-five is because he stole ideas from other companies. But, his entire committee says it's because he went to Harvard". Arthur sounded like he was mocking the college when it was mentioned.

She narrowed her eyes at him, and asked, "What do you have against Harvard?". "Personally, I don't see what's too special about it," He shrugged. "You went to Oxford didn't you?" She said. A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "You sly dog" She smiled, hitting him on the arm. "Quiet, he's coming over," Arthur said, suddenly getting serious. "As I was saying, there are absolutely no good looking people at these parties anymore Jeanne! Now, they're too old, and either that or boring" Harrison's voice could be heard getting nearer.

Ariadne could sense Harrison standing right behind her, ordering some kind of drink. She turned to face the party, and could see Eames hovering near the elevator. He caught her eye, and winked. She smiled in return, and in the corner of her eye, she saw Harrison face Arthur and her. "Hello," He said, eyeing Arthur. Ariadne couldn't help feel awkward standing in between the two men. "William Harrison, but please, call me Will" Harrison smiled. "Daniel Kaye," Arthur said, shaking hands with the mark. "And this is my, uh, fiancée, Anna-Leigh Vienna" Arthur added, watching Harrison's smile drop. Harrison looked at Ariadne for the first time since he approached, and nods at her. "If you excuse me, I must be going now," Harrison says, walking away with his assistant. Ariadne turned to Arthur. "Arthur, what were you doing back there? He's going to recognize you in the dream now!" She hissed. Arthur smiled. "Anna-Leigh, _dear, _couldn't you smell the alcohol on that man's breath. I'm surprised he is still walking he's so drunk" Arthur chuckles. "He's not going to remember a single thing _even about_ this night tomorrow; only to wake up feeling like hell".

Ariadne could feel her cheeks redden. "Oh," She mutters. She looks down and studied Arthur's shoes so she wouldn't have to look at him. Suddenly, he speaks, "Would you like to dance?". "What?" Her head whipped up. "Would you like to dance? Eames is going to try to make his move now," Arthur asked again. Stammering, she amazes herself by fulfilling Gabby's only request. Taking his hand, he led her to the center of the ball room. It's obvious to her that he knows how to dance when she feels his arm slip around her waist, and take her hand in his. She puts her other hand on his shoulder, and she could feel him looking at her. "Why are you looking at me?" She asks, looking over his shoulder.

"Because I want to remember this," He responds immediately. She looks at him, and raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Me or the job?" She asked. "Both," Arthur smiled. Ariadne lets out small laugh, and she looks at the bar. Eames is sitting there, watching Harrison, but every now and then he looks back at them. He smirks when he sees her watching him. Ariadne shakes her head, and returns to concentrating on dancing with Arthur. When she does, she realizes the song has ended, and people where clearing the dance floor. "You wanna go up on the balcony?" Arthur asks once she faced him. She looked up at the balconies, and decided that I would be a good view to watch Eames work his magic on Harrison. Ariadne nods, and Arthur takes up to one of the balconies.

The balcony in her opinion, gives one of the best views of the entire Gala. Later on in the evening, they would be auctioning off pieces of art at the stage where the orchestra was currently playing. Eames could be seen, now full on talking to Harrison, and Ariadne had to admit, the forger was pretty convincing. "So, how long do you think it will take for Eames to work his stuff?" Ariadne asked Arthur, not taking her eyes off the forger. "Knowing the guy, probably half an hour," Arthur responded. Ariadne sighed. "Could this day possibly get any worse?" She muttered. "What? What do you mean by that?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow. She faced him, and looked in his eyes. "I have to watch you get hit on by possibly every girl in town, even the men in here, and everything here is happening on my birthday" She sighed again. Arthur looked surprised. "It's your birthday?" He asked, sounding like he wanted to make it clear. She nodded, "I just said it wa-"

Her last word was cut off by Arthur slowly leaning towards her, and brushing his lips against hers.

**Arthur. **

He only pulled away from her to look in her eyes. It was a first reaction move; no think, just do. Her eyes gave away the fact that she was only surprised. "Happy birthday," He grinned. She smiled, and leaned in again. He met her lips again, but this time, she gripped his arm, and he found that his arm had moved itself to her back.

This wasn't like the Fischer job kiss, where it could have felt like two friends seeing if they could make it as a couple. This kiss felt like they were beyond that phase, and already on the couple step.

This kiss, was more passionate, and they only stopped when she pulled back for air. Arthur looked down at the bar to see how Eames was doing, and Arthur was met with Eames grinning as far as a grin could go. Arthur shook his head, and Eames smiled. Arthur turned back to Ariadne, and she was blushing. Arthur himself couldn't help but feel the back of his neck redden also. But as they stood there in silence, Arthur noticed how suddenly Ariadne's body went stiff.

He frowned, and followed her gaze. He turned around, and saw what had bothered her so much.

It was Chase.

_Okay! So cliffhanger, I might not be able to update tomorrow night, you see I have cousins coming over, and they might have to sleep on the floor in my room where I write. So if I don't update tomorrow, you know why ;) _


	14. Fourteen

**Hello. **

**I am officially back from the dead. Yes, I do know that this is late, 2-3 days late in my opinion, only because I like it when I can roll out a chapter every night for you guys. The reason is because first, my cousins from Seattle WA visited my in NY. Also, the day after my cousins left, I screwed up my back, making it super painful when I even move. Yep. That's the reasons. But while I was out due to back problems, I thought about my story more and more. I am proud to say that as of right now, I know how this story will end. Yep. I said it. Those little words saying that the ending to this story is near. But, for good news, this story WILL have a sequel, only because the ending will have a HUGE cliffhanger. Okay. Well, all is said so, imam gonna let you read now… (Pardon some language in it)**

**Meghan. **

Chapter Fourteen.

**Arthur. **

Chase just stood there. Glaring up at Arthur. "W-What's he doing here. _How does he even know were here?_" Ariadne almost yelled, her voice getting higher with each word. Arthur looked at Eames, and Eames caught Arthur's angered face. Eames followed Arthur's gaze, only to rest on Chase. Eames' head snapped backed to Arthur, mouthing, "I tried telling you that night". Arthur muttered something he hoped Ariadne couldn't hear.

Arthur turned back to Ariadne, and just then noticed how scared she looked, and rubbing the arm that was hurt in her attack. "Ariadne, have you been telling me the truth about the day you were attacked?" Arthur asked, his voice cold. She didn't look up at him. "Ariadne. Tell me" He asked again.

Finally, she looked up. The rims of her eyes were reddening, and tears were welling up. "Chase, there was never any friend," She laughed bitterly. "Chase was drunk, and only he did that to me".

Arthur nodded, he wasn't surprised. He walked past Ariadne, but stopped when she grabbed him arm. "Where are you going now?" She hissed. "To kill this son of a bitch," He growled, tugging free of her grasp. He left her, and practically shoved his way across the dance floor to Chase. Approaching him from behind, Arthur growled, "Chase".

Chase turned around, and fakely looked surprised. "Ah, if it isn't my dear friend Arthur, who desperately tries telling me that he isn't involved with my girlfriend" Chase smiles slyly. Arthur narrowed his eyes. First of all, only Arthur can be sly, when Chase does it, he looks like, let's just say bad. "Chase. You are a horrible liar" Arthur says coldly. "Oh? And why do you say that"

Arthur smirks. "Well, if she's your girlfriend, why is she kissing me?"

Chase's face reddens. "Oh Arthur, how you humor me. Why don't we step outside, and get fresh air?"

"Fine by me" Arthur growls in response, following Chase out of the main room, and on to the outside terrace. Once out of view from the main public, Arthur grabs Chase's collar, and pulls him down to the ground.

Sputtering, Chase gets up. Arthur takes of his jacket slowly, and loosens his shirt sleeves to roll them up. "Were really going to do this right now?" Chase spits. "Yep," Arthur says, punching him square in the jaw. Chase falls again, getting up to rest his hands on his knees. "You pack a punch man," He says before Arthur kicks the back of his knees. "And a kick" He adds falling over. "You know, I'm actually not one to taunt, but to be honest, I feel like I'm fighting an old woman" Arthur says, tilting his head to one side to look at Chase on the ground.

"What a comedian," Chase mutters, getting up once again. "How did you know we would be here tonight?" He asked, circling him. Chase spit blood from his mouth on the ground. "Gabby told me you would be in Sweden for a Gala, or something. So I came, of course, I found out it was for Mr. Harrison. I used to work in Harrison's headquarters as his assistant, so I called in a favor" Chase smirked.

"You got balls coming here Chase, I have to admit that," Arthur said, eyeing Chase. "Hey, what can I say, they attract the ladies, just like Miss Puff-Ball Ariadne. Yeah, she was really attracted to them," Chase laughed in Arthur's face.

He curled his fingers into a tight fist, his fingernails biting into the skin of his palm. Arthur grabbed the front of Chase's shirt and hit him, over and over. "No. One. Says. That. !" He hissed between punches. "Arthur! Stop it!"

Arthur, looked by the door, and saw her. Dropping Chase's shirt collar, the man crumbled. Her eyes were puffy and red, and it took all of Arthur's will not to kiss her again. He clamly fixed his shirt and threw back on his jacket. "Come on, Eames is probably almost done," He whispered in her ear, walking back into the Gala, like nothing had happened.

**Yes. You probably think, eh, could be better, but sorry! I do have a life other than my computer! I promise the next one will be longer than usually, to make up for this one's shortness. **


	15. Fifteen

**Hello.**

**Okay, sorry for the day or two breaks in between the publishing, it's because right now going into August life is getting really hectic, and also it's HOT outside where I live. So, I spend my days now standing in front of fans and air-conditioners. But good news! Recently I got the Inception soundtrack, so you can only guess what I will be writing to ;) **

**Meghan. **

Chapter Fifteen.

**Ariadne. **

Walking back into the large room behind Arthur, Ariadne could only be silent and follow him. "He'll be fine," He said, looking over his shoulder to answer her silent question. Wondering how he could have known she was thinking of the question, she accidently bumped into Arthur when he stopped. "Sorry," She mumbled.

"Look," He whispered, pointing to the elevators. Looking at the elevators, she spotted Eames walking into one, with a very drunken Harrison clinging on his shoulder. Looking behind his shoulder, Eames gave the two a smirk. Ariadne suddenly felt her cheeks redden. He wasn't going to drop the subject for a long time.

"Should we be getting back to the hotel room?" She asked, not looking away from the elevators. "Probably. Eames is going to take Harrison on a little walk in the park before bringing him up," Arthur responded, smiling weakly. Ariadne softly nodded, and looked up at the Point Man. She could tell something was bothering him. She faced him and grabbed both of his shoulders to get his attention. "Arthur, what's wrong?" She asked quietly. "Something's wrong," He muttered.

"How can you tell?"

"Look how they're following Eames and Harrison," Arthur said, nodding towards two men in suits following the two.

"Yeah, so? We were expecting this"

"Not like this. It's too soon. We expected them to go looking for Harrison two hours _after_ he disappeared. We would have already been well out of this country" Arthur explained, looking back at her. She frowned. "Then we need to hurry, can you call Eames and tell him just to get to the room instead of taking the walk?"

"I guess, but it's going to be rushed," He responded, taking out his cell phone. She'd never noticed, or in fact, seen, his cell phone. It was normal, just a regular cell phone you'd expect your best friend to have. Dialing a number rapidly, he put it to his ear, and waited for Eames to pick up. "Hello?" Ariadne heard a voice come from the speaker. "Who is this?" Arthur asked, frowning. "William Harrison and the same goes to you?" A very slurred voice said. "Darling! What are you doing with my phone?" Laughed a certain English voice say. Ariadne heard something from the phone that sounded like rustling, then a door closing. "Where are you two?" Eames hissed. "Still at the Gala, why are you inside. You're supposed to be on a moonlight walk" Arthur frowned. Ariadne wanted to slap Arthur. Frowning this much would make wrinkles appear on his perfect forehead.

"Well hurry up. Harrison forced me to come to his private suite. I'm trapped in the bathroom" Eames said loudly. "Get to the room; me and Ariadne will be right up".

Snapping the phone shut, Arthur looked back at Ariadne. "Harrison is getting carried away with Eames," Arthur smirked.

Ariadne smiled, and took Arthur's hand in hers. Hesitant, he looked at their hands. "One kiss and already this?" He rhymed. "We _are _engaged Mr. Kaye," She winked. Chuckling he led her back to the elevators and pressed the 5th floor button. Ariadne stood there…next to Arthur…..their hands together…. Ariadne couldn't help but feel her blood start rushing. Once the elevators opened, Arthur took his hand back. Approaching the hotel room where they were going to perform the job, Arthur took out his glock, and opened the door.

Waiting for him to search the room she looked around. Suddenly, the elevator doors opened, and the two men who were following Eames and Harrison walked out and went down the other hallway. Eyes widening, she hissed into the room, "Arthur!" She hissed again, and his head popped out from behind the door. "What?" He hissed back. "We, uh, got company" She said, shaking her head towards the elevator.

He saw the two men, and shook his head. "This can't be good," He muttered. He closed the door, and Ariadne looked at him puzzled. "We don't want them to know what room Harrison is going to be in tonight," He quietly answered. "Well, what are we going to do? We can't really stand here doing nothing. Eames and Harrison are going to come up any minute, and screw up the plan" She hissed, hearing the men's footsteps coming closer, no doubt in her mind they would search their hallway now. Suddenly, Arthur's arm snaked around her waist, and she was trapped between the wall and Arthur. "What are you doing?" She whispered as he leaned his arm on the wall above her right shoulder. "Improvising, He murmured before kissing her.

She heard the two men's footsteps come near, but stopped as they probably saw Arthur and her making out. Her hands found their way to his hair, and man cleared his throat. Arthur stopped and opened his eyes the same second she did. Winking, he turned away from her and faced the two men. "What? Dude, I mean really?" He asked, slurring his words together to make them think he was drunk. "Um, yeah, Sir? Have you seen two men come down the hallway? Possibly, erm, gay?" The man to the right asked. "Well. Do you two count? 'Cause I mean, two guys in an expensive hotel? Am I right or and I right?" Arthur grinned, punching the man's arm.

"Don't touch me," The man to the right growled. "Oooo! Touchy!" Arthur said, recoiling his hand. "Miss?" The man to the left asked, facing her. Out of nowhere when the man's attention changed, Arthur did some kind of, well in Ariadne's opinion, ninja-spin move and both men were on the ground.

"Hey!" The man yelled. Arthur delivered a swift kick to the man's stomach, and head. He did the same for both, and they both looked unconscious. "They aren't dead are they?" She asked, eyeing the man to the right. He looked as if he wasn't breathing. "Heavens no," Arthur grunted as he lifted the heavier of the two. Dragging him to a maid's closet, Arthur left both bodies in there. Coming back, he looked at Ariadne. "Ariadne, I'm many things, but killer isn't one of them," He said. He walked into the room, and Ariadne asked, "What about-" She was cut off my Arthur. "Only in dreams".

Two men's voices were once again heard from the hallway, and Arthur quickly shut the door, pushing Ariadne and himself into a closet. "Eames," He whispered. The door was heard being unlocked, and a man's drunken voice was heard. "Eames-y darling! You are a total heart stopper!"

Eames' fake laugh filled the room. Footsteps continued into the room, but suddenly one stopped and sounded like it was falling. "Arthur! Ariadne!" Eames quietly called. Opening the door, Ariadne walked out to find a unconscious Harrison. "You are a real charmer Eames. Just knocking them out are you now?" She smirked. Eames' did a fake 'ha ha' and Arthur took the slumped Harrison from Eames.

Walking towards the two, Harrison mumbled something. "Eames-y".

Arthur raised an eyebrow at the brit. "I think he really likes you Eames" He grinned. Pointing to Harrison, Eames burst out, "He tried to kiss me! He bloody tried to _kiss me_!". Ariadne grinned and settled herself down on the opposite bed. Arthur appeared from the bathroom hold the PASIV.

"You ready for this?"


	16. Sixteen

**Hi. **

**Well. Nothing new to talk about today. Dang. Sixteen already?**

**Meghan. **

Chapter 16

**Arthur. **

He eyed all three people in the room, even on the unconscious one as he set the PASIV down. Ariadne, already getting comfortable, and Eames, standing anxiously by the door. Opening the briefcase, he extended a line, and handed it to Ariadne. Sitting on the hard hotel desk chair, Arthur tries to get into the good position. Finally getting one, he takes his line and puts it into the vein on his wrist.

"Eames, you okay with security while were out?" Arthur asked, watching the forger set the timer. "Well Arthur, to quote a very certain acquaintance, 'I will lead them on a merry chase'" Eames smirked. Chuckling, Arthur leaned back and glanced at Ariadne. _For someone who's about to enter someone's dreams, she looks calm,_ He thought, looking at her. But then again, she did perform Inception, so this could almost be described as a walk in the park for her and himself.

She turned her head, and their eyes met. Feeling his ears redden, he looked away, and Eames was smirking again at the two. "You two lovebirds ready?" He asked. Arthur nodded, and Ariadne followed suit. Eames pushed the button, and the last things he heard was from Eames. "Don't screw this up,"

Arthur sat up, realizing he was sitting on the pavement. Rubbing his head, he stood, and searched for Ariadne. Across the street, he spotted her. She was wearing something different than what she would have normally been seen in. But, Arthur knows she's never worn this dress, but it seems almost_ familiar _to him. Suddenly, he remembers where he's seen it.

It's the dress she was wearing in his nightmare.

He felt his hands begin to shake against his….. jeans? Looking down, he was actually wearing blue jeans. At that fine moment, Arthur realized he wasn't wearing a suit. "Wow Arthur, you tone done pretty well," Ariadne smirked, standing beside him. "Yeah, nice dress" He muttered. "Arthur, are you okay?" She asked, placing a hand on his arm.

"Everything is fine Ariadne, let's just do this," He said, looking at her.

"Okay," She mumbled, and looked at her hand. "Were engaged, _again?_" She asked, raising her left hand. Dumbfounded, he looked at his, and sure enough there was a ring. "I did not do this," He stuttered. He mentally glared at Eames up above. Ariadne smiled, and took his hand. "C'mon," She said, pulling him past the projections, and towards the dealership.

Arthur followed, and walked by her side to the entrance. Looking through the glass windows, he couldn't help but note the he would have to compliment Ariadne on her work. She looked up at him, and he nodded, pulling to door open for her to walk in.

He followed her, and he looked around the dealership. It really was expensive looking, and they were getting looks from some of the projections in expensive looking suits, which Arthur easily dismissed as a Canali suit.

A woman walked over to them, and eyed their clothing. "May I help you?" She asked. "Were looking to buy a car, for our engagement," Arthur smiled. Ariadne followed, and raised her hand to show the lady the ring. Arthur only then realized really how expensive the ring was. The sales lady also noticed it, and her eyes widened. The saleslady instantly warmed up to them knowing now they had the money to buy a car there.

"So what are you looking for? Coupe? SUV?" She asked waving her arm around the store. "Well, we hoping to talk to Mr. Harrison, we would like to ask some questions about a particular model," Ariadne smiled, trying to get Harrison out.

"Well, I am more than capable to answer a question about any model," The lady said, looking almost annoyed now by Ariadne's statements.

"Well, Terry, I would be delighted to answer some questions from some customers" A voice said from behind the lady, Terry. Harrison was standing behind her, looking happy as ever to be one-upping the saleslady. "Oh! Mr.-Harrison!" Terry said, stuttering at seeing her boss's appearance. She backed off, and went to help another person. "Well, Mr. and Ms.?" He asked, looking at the two. "I'm Jay Roberts, and this is Callie Jenkins, or soon to be Roberts" Arthur smiled.

Ariadne nodded, and asked "So, Mr. Harrison, we had some questions about one of the new models, we were hoping for you to answer some of them". "Oh yes! Please, come. We can do this in my office" Harrison responded, leading them out of the center store.

Arthur smirked. Ariadne looked annoyed that she had to be led through the hallways to his office, knowing the she had created these hallways, and knew them like the back of her hand. "Here," Harrison said finally, and opened the door to his office. Arthur nodded, following Ariadne in. Arthur took out his gun from his back and when Harrison walked into the office closing the door behind him, Arthur hit the back of Harrison's neck with the hand of the gun.

"Well that was simple enough," Ariadne stated. Arthur chuckled, and dragged Harrison's body onto his chair. "You're going to be okay for ten minutes right?" He asked, pulling out the PASIV device from one of Harrison's desk drawers. Opening it, he set the timer and pulled out a lead. Arthur sat down, and put the needle in. "Ariadne, before I go under, you should probably have this," He said, handing his glock to her. "If anything happens, just use that okay?" He asked, searching her eyes for comprehension.

Ariadne slowly nodded, taking the gun carefully from his hand, their fingers softly brushing as she did. "Safety off," He said, flicking the safety off, "Safety on," He said returning the gun back to its previous state.

Ariadne stopped him. "I know, my dad taught me a little about how these things work when I was younger, point and shoot right?" She said weakly. "You'll be fine," Arthur responded, squeezing her hand. He relaxed, and sat back.

Arthur nodded for her to press the button. Ariadne did, and the last thing he saw, was her smiling.


	17. Seventeen

**Hello my peoples! **

**Go horrible grammar! Just so you know, that was like my catchphrase back when I was like in 3****rd**** grade. Awesome isn't it? Yep. You jealous. **

**Meghan. **

Seventeen.

**Arthur. **

Bright light attacked his eyes as Arthur woke up. Dizzy at first, he stood, and looked around where he was. Arthur was standing in an alley, right across the street from a rather expensive looking bank. He smiled again at the thought of how well Ariadne could make these levels.

He walked forward, and couldn't help notice that some of the projections were beginning to stare at him. Shuffling across the street, he looked closer at the bank. Three security guards, five tellers, two in offices, and about seventeen civilians. Sighing, he realized Harrison was not yet at the bank. He looked to his right, and saw an empty bench. Walking to it, he picked up a newspaper that was on top of a garbage can, and sat down.

Arthur flipped through the pages, and saw many things happening. Of course, he read the comics, it was the one thing he still held onto from his childhood. After seeming like ages, and re-reading the comics five times, Arthur saw Harrison get out of a sleek black town car.

Getting up, and avoiding the watchful eyes of the projections, he walked to the bank door and opened it cautiously. Arthur walked past one of the guards, and the guard gave him a nod. Puzzled he looked at what he was wearing. He then looked at the tellers. Arthur was wearing the exact same clothing as the male tellers.

_That's another reason to thank Ariadne,_ He smirked, walking towards the entrance to behind the teller desks. Seeing a paper clip on the desk, Arthur grabbed two and slipped them in his pocket. Approaching a teller, he asked, "Hi, I forgot my keys at my house, can I borrow yours to the vault for a sec?" The teller looked at him, and frowned. He sighed, and nodded. "Yeah man, but don't do it again"

Arthur nodded in thanks, and took the keys. Walking to the bank vault, he was stopped by Harrison. "Excuse me sir, could you open the safe boxes for me? I need to get something." He asked, nodding towards the door. Arthur shook his head. "I'm sorry sir, but only the bank manager can open the vault to safe boxes" Arthur replied. He couldn't have Harrison in the room while he was going through the documents. "But can't you do anything to help?" Pleaded Harrison. "I need those documents _today!_"

"Sir," Arthur said firmly. "I can't do anything. The bank manager should get here at two when his shift starts".

Harrison lingered on Arthur for a minute, until he turned away, and walked to his group of staff. If Harrison was here, then the documents were here. He unlocked the vault, and slipped in. Finding the boxes was easy enough, but knowing which one was Harrison's was different. Getting an idea, he ran out of the vault, and called for Harrison. "Excuse me sir?" He called, and Harrison turned and approached. "Yes?" He asked. "It seems the manager left his keys in the vault yesterday, and I can open the boxes. If you come with me, alone, I can get your box" Arthur explained. Of course, Arthur had borrowed the manager's keys. "Okay," Harrison said, telling his staff to stay behind. Arthur led Harrison to the boxes, and Harrison picked out the right one.

"That one, 452" He said, pointed to one. Arthur nodded, "Sir, if you would go in one of the viewing rooms. I will bring it to you". Harrison left, and Arthur went for the box. Using the keys, he took it out of the holder, and grabbed the paper clips from his pocket. The banks in Switzerland were always so clumsy when it came to actually opening the boxes. They would never think that someone would get as far as getting into the vault, and getting the box out of its holder.

Arthur set the box down, and picked the lock easily. He held his breath as he opened the box. Suddenly as he read, Arthur cursed loudly and threw the box to the ground. Running his fingers through his head, he realized that there was no talk about Harrison's company. None. Zilch.

Harrison must have been trained well enough to hide his business secrets somewhere else. Thinking of anywhere for him to hide the possible model information, he suddenly came to it. Harrison had hidden it in the computer in his office. Thinking of Ariadne, he left the vault. "Hey!" Yelled the security officer. Arthur looked back, and saw the officer reaching for his rent-a-cop gun. Sighing, Arthur whipped around and easily shot the man.

**Ariadne.**

She watched Arthur go under, and only then realized how long these ten minutes would be without Arthur. But then again, she lived almost a year without the man, but now she felt as if she almost needed him by her side,… ever since he kissed her. Smiling at the thought, she sat down on Harrison's desk.

Arthur stirred, but he remained asleep. Nervous she looked at the clock again. 8 more minutes. She sighed, and looked into Harrison's computer. She frowned when she saw a folder with a different name and size than all the others. Opening it, she gasped. It was the information that Arthur was currently after. She looked at the design plans, and saw that the car didn't look any different than any other car. But as she read more, she realized that it wasn't in the car design, it was the accessories in the car. Inside the car, there was computers, computers that could access the internet from anywhere in the world, and there was also some sort of escape thing.

Frowning, she looked at the clock. 4 more minutes. Looking back to the computer, and then Arthur, she wondered what he was doing if the information was on her level.

A knock at the door snapped her attention away from the Point Man. Hesitating, she grabbed the gun, and called, "Yes?". "Is Mr. Harrison in there?" A feminine voice asked. Ariadne recognized it as the sales lady from before. "No, I'm sorry. He went to go get something from another office," Ariadne lied, nervous the lady wouldn't believe it. "Mr. Harrison has everything in his office, Mr. Harrison!" The lady called.

"He's out!" Ariadne snapped. The sales lady pushed the door in, and saw the two men under. "You!" The lady suddenly lurched for Ariadne. Screaming as she jumped back, Ariadne snapped the gun up and pressed the trigger. She clenched her teeth as the lady went down, and footsteps were heard coming towards the office. Glancing at the clock, 2 minutes left. Someone ran into the room, and Ariadne shot blindly.

She looked to see if she hit, and she hit him in the left arm. The man grunted, but raised his own gun. Ariadne jumped behind the desk as he shot after. She waited until it sounded like he was reloading. She raised the gun over the desk, and returned fire, sighing with relief as she heard the _thunk_ of a body hitting the floor.

Ariadne peeked over the desk, and saw all the bodies were on the floor, and Arthur and Harrison were untouched. She quietly stood and stepped over the bodies. She glanced out the hallway to the right, and no one was there. Looking to the right, she almost had a heart attack when she saw two men running her way. Tripping over the bodies behind her, she fell back.

When the men reached the door, she shot wildly and she tried scrambling behind the desk again. She kept shooting, and was almost there, but the magazine was out.

Cursing under her breath, she watched as the two men walked into the room. Ariadne knew that her time on this level was done. She thanked Yusef for creating the sedative that with two levels wouldn't send her to limbo. The last thing Ariadne did before they shot her, was look at Arthur.

15 Seconds.

_(Okay, if some of you question the 30 seconds part, it was the time left until Arthur would wake up)_


	18. Eighteen

**Hi.**

**Okay, hello, once again. Just going to remind you guys again, if you like the story and want me to update for quickly than I already do, don't be afraid to review : ) **

**Meghan. **

Chapter Eighteen.

**Arthur. **

Coughing, he woke up from the second level. The first thing he saw was someone standing in front of him; he only guessed that the person was Ariadne. But as he woke further, he realized that the person was too bulky. Tearing the IV out of his wrist, he yelled, "Hey!" The man who he somehow mistaken for Ariadne turned. Arthur took this time to hit him square in the nose.

The man fell, and hit his head on the corner of the desk, and then on, bodies? Looking around, he saw the room littered with the bodies of projections. "Ariadne?" He softly called. He hoped Ariadne was hiding behind the desk, waiting for him. His heart sank when she didn't answer, or even move.

Peering over the desk, he croaked her name. She was lying on the floor, her sundress covered in her own blood; seeping from the holes in her dress. "Ariadne," He whispered, kneeling down. He knew that she was just fine, but even the sight of her dead body gave him waves of sadness.

He sighed, and brought the man's gun to his own temple. Closing his eyes, Arthur pulled trigger.

He opened his eyes, and he saw the ceiling of the hotel room. Sitting up, and took the IV out of his arm, and rolled his die. The dice rolled on the four, and Arthur didn't doubt that it was wrong. He was in reality.

"He's up," Eames' voice said. Turning to face the brit, Ariadne walked out of the bathroom, mascara lines running down her face. Arthur frowned. "What happened down there?" He asked, watching Ariadne. "I was attacked, ran out of bullets, and well, you probably know the rest," She smiled weakly. She rubbed places on her stomach, and Arthur knew she was still in shock after being shot multiple times. Ariadne knew what it was like to be stabbed, but not shot to death….

"How long is he still going to be out?" Eames asked, interrupting the silence. Arthur checked Harrison's vitals, and responded, "Not too long now, we should probably get back to the rooms and go,"

Ariadne nodded, and looked eager to leave. "Eames, when is you flight again?" Arthur asked; he booked him on a different flight to bypass aroused suspicion. "In the morning, early enough" Eames sighed. "Why did you make mine the early one again?"

"Because we all know how you just love waking up in the morning that's why," Arthur muttered, packing up the PASIV. Before walking out, he turned back to the two. "Eames, can you please tuck your friend in, and Ariadne, I'll come by later" He said. Ariadne nodded, and Eames muttered something about 'desert'.

Glaring at the brit, Arthur walked out, and to the elevator. While riding the elevator down to his floor, he couldn't help but remember what had happened after the last time he was in it. When he 'improvised'. He smiled at the thought, and couldn't help wonder what Ariadne could be thinking about all this. It all happened tonight, the night the Point Man started to show feelings for someone.

Now, in his room, he shrugged off his coat, and loosened his tie. Feeling somewhat different, he actually messed up his hair on purpose. Arthur looked in the mirror, and saw something he hadn't seen in a very long time. His old high school appearance. His hair all ruffled, and almost wearing the same thing he wore after finding out his prom date stood him up; no coat, and tie loose.

A knock at the door brought him out of the past, and he looked through the peephole. Frowning, he realized that it was Ariadne. Opening it wide enough for her to see his full appearance, she looked surprised. "Arthur?" She asked, not sure of what she was seeing. "I know my name," He chuckled. "Oh, I just never-"

"Seen me like this?" He finished for her.

"Yeah, If Eames saw you like this he'd probably never recognize you as Mr. Stick-in-the-Mud" She laughed. Arthur agreed, and asked, "So, why are you here? I told you I would come over later"

"I actually wanted to talk to you about why you improvised" She said, eyes not meeting his. Arthur felt his neck redden. "Oh, I see," He mumbled. He stepped out of the doorway, and let her in. She sat down on the edge of his bed, and Arthur didn't know what to do, so he pulled the chair over and sat down across from her.

"Did you mean it? Or was it all for the job, I mean, I would understand if it was for the job, but then again it could have-" She started, but then realized she was rambling. Arthur raised an eyebrow, and tried to answer her question. "I-" He tried saying, but was cut off by Ariadne. "No, don't answer that question,"

"Do you want me to answer any question? Because I need to take a shower and pack in less than," he looked at his watch, "two hours, give or take the amount of time we take to get to the airport"

Ariadne looked down. "Oh okay, well I guess this was a total mistake," She muttered, and standing up. Arthur followed suit, and followed her to the door. He watched as she opened her door next to his, but before she entered and closed the door, he grabbed her arm. "Ariadne?" He said. She raised an eyebrow in response. "I did mean everything, everything about the improvising, and well, kissing you," He muttered, eyes low.

He didn't have to see her expression to know she was surprised. "I'm not going to use the same lame excuse I used last time to cover up, I should just say the truth right?" He bitterly laughed.

Looking up now, he could see she was clearly interested in what he had to say. "I- I have feelings for you Ariadne, and I'm honestly scared of what will happen, especially what happened to Mal and Cobb," He said, almost rather fast. Ariadne looked at him shocked. "What?"


	19. Nineteen

**Hey. **

**I like changing up things. Meaning, you know, Artie over here having different looks ; ) But, if you want more of Arthur having a different looks at some points when he and *cough* Ariadne are alone, then… *evil voice* REVIEW. **

**Meghan. **

**P.S. I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE! **

**P.P.S. I actually don't….. **

Chapter Nineteen?

**Ariadne. **

"What?" She repeated again, not sure of what she was hearing. "Don't make me repeat myself, it was hard getting it out the first time," He sighed. Ariadne frowned. She obviously heard what he had said, but she never expected to come out of his mouth. "Arthur, I- I actually don't know what to say," She said, looking up at him.

"Well, for starters, what do _you_ feel Ariadne? Don't tell me a lie because I just said those things; don't try to respect my feelings. Tell me the truth," He pleaded, searching her eyes. "Arthur, I never thought you'd say those things!" She smiled, wrapping her arms around him. Already telling by his body language that he surprised, she smiled on the inside. "Oh, wow," He muttered, returning the embrace.

Pulling back, she looked at her shoes. Arthur cleared his throat, "So I'm going to take it that you feel the same way?" He asked awkwardly. Pulling away, she looked back at him. "Well, I guess, so, ever since well, since you kissed me on the second level. But I never expected that you would, you would return the feelings because your," She stopped, finding the right word.

"Arthur?" He suggested. Ariadne nodded. Feeling the sudden awkwardness between them, she studied his face. "We can't let this come between our work," She whispered. "I know," He responded softly. "We also can't let Eames in on this either,"

At that, a smiled played on her lips. "I think he might already know,"

Arthur chuckled, "He may, but I should probably let you pack for the flight,"

Ariadne nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you on the plane right?"

"I'm going to pick you up? Remember?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Ariadne nodded, and shook her head. "Sorry, it's just I have a major headache," She muttered. Arthur nodded, "It'll go away soon; I used to get them all the time,"

Ariadne smiled, and said goodbye. Opening her door, she could feel Arthur's eyes lingering on her. Now, closing the door behind her, and threw herself on the bed. _Did that just happen?_ She thought out loud. Her heart was telling her that this was in fact reality, but she couldn't know for sure.

Reaching into her small hand purse, she pulled her bishop from it. Setting it down, she knocked it over. Her heart sent a silent _I told you so_ as Ariadne watched it fall. Now, she got up and turned the shower on.

The shower had awakened her senses, so now she was ready to be on a flight for two hours back to Paris. _Paris, _Ariadne thought about it, and she realized that with her school over, what is left for her in Paris? Of course, there was Gabby who was going to finish her school work this year, and then, what was she going to do? Work as an architect in a city that had so many architects already?

A swift knock at the door woke her from her thoughts. Checking to make sure she had everything, and fixing her scarf, she answered the door. Opening it, Arthur was standing there, his hair gelled back again, vest and tie fixed. "You know," She said, leaning on the door frame. "I think I like you better the other way".

"Oh really now?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "Because if you keep talking about my good looks, then we'll miss our flight,"

Narrowing her eyes at him, she scoffed, "Fine".

She wheeled the small suitcase from her room and walked down the hallway to the elevator. While doing this, she head Arthur following behind her, chuckling. "You are so funny," She muttered. Arthur looked too amused.

The ride to the airport was silent, only because Ariadne was looking out the window at the architecture in the evening, and also because Arthur was busy interrogating the taxi driver on his driving skills. Every time the driver did something wrong, Ariadne could see Arthur's jaw tighten, and she would silently giggle.

The whole flight back to Paris was spent in silence. The only talk she heard from the Point Man was asking her if she was alright or not. Now, two hours later, she was back in a taxi, but instead this one headed for her home.

The sun was starting to rise against the Paris skyline, and Ariadne sighed. It didn't feel like they just pulled a job in Sweden. It didn't feel likeshe was just shot to death in a dream. Frowning at the thought, she looked out the window. She then realized the taxi was stopped.

Ariadne quickly stepped out of the car, and dragged her carry-on behind her. Arthur walked with her back to her door, and she unlocked it. The scent of home welcomed her in, but she kept her stance.

She faced Arthur, and nodded. "You can go back to your place now I guess," She muttered. Arthur made some kind of noise. "Oh, I didn't know you wanted me gone so fast" He chuckled. Ariadne looked up at him, and narrowed her eyes. "Somehow, you can always find a way to make me annoyed" She smiled. Arthur returned her smile.

"Because that's how you know I love you," He sighed. Ariadne suddenly became interested in her shoes. The moment for her suddenly became quiet, and she only looked up when she felt Arthur's hand below her chin. She met his eyes, and then he bent down to graze his lips against hers. Her knees almost buckled, but she somehow kept control.

"You know," She said when he pulled back. "I'm never going to get used to that".

"Me neither," He smiled.


	20. Twenty: The End

**Yo Yo. **

** I have tragic news. Read at the end of the story. **

**Meghan. **

Chapter Twenty

**Arthur. **

It was weird now, walking away from her door, and back to his car. It was weird, that you could describe him and Ariadne as together. He shook his head the whole way back, not even beleving it himself. When he was finally in his car, sitting in the driver's seat, Arthur pulled from his pocket the red die. Rolling it on the dashboard, he smiled when he was told he was in reality.

Putting it back in his pocket, Arthur pulled the car out of the space he was in, and drove to his apartment. Driving, he thought about what he was going to do about his feelings and work. It was almost impossible for him to let Ariadne continue working, due to fear of what happened to Mal and Cobb would happen to them. But then again, he couldn't just put his foot down and tell her she couldn't dream anymore.

He sighed, and pulled into the apartment garage. Walking into the apartment itself, Arthur loosed his tie, plopped down on his couch, and picked up the phone. Dialing a number, he raised the receiver to his ear. "Hello?" Byrd asked.

**(If you forgot who Gregory Byrd was, he was the guy who hired them to extract from Harrison) **

"It's me," Arthur said, not even mentioning his name. "Who is it?" Byrd asked again. Arthur sighed, "Arthur Clarke,"

"Ah! Mr. Clarke, I hope everything when well with the, erm, job?" Byrd asked nervously. "I wouldn't be talking to you if it when badly now would I Byrd?" Arthur said coldly. At that, Byrd weakly laughed, "You're a smart Mr. Clarke, I wish you would be working for me instead of the dim-minded people that already do,"

"Byrd, if I must, back to the job. I'm only here to give you the results and make sure we are paid," He said absent mindly. "Oh yes!" Byrd exclaimed. "The payments are already being transferred to your accounts in Switzerland,"

Arthur nodded. "Okay, well, yes, they are building a new kind of car," He said, rambling off the description of the car. Finally after Arthur was done, Byrd spoke. "I see, and did you find out the release date of the car in question?"

"No, that was not included in the documents we found on Harrison's computer," Arthur said. "Okay, well this was certainly worth the money I spent on your team Mr. Clarke, I hope we can do business again," Byrd said. _Almost impossible, would never work for a client two times_ Arthur thought.

The two said their goodbyes, and Arthur then realized he was alone. Searching the apartment for something to do, he finally decided that he should sleep.

Arthur woke the next morning, horrified to see that he was still in his suit. He rubbed his head as he stood, and walked into the bathroom. He splashed water on his face, and was about to turn on the shower when the phone started ringing loudly in his hears.

Arthur took his time walking to the phone, and answered it with a simple "Hello?"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Ariadne laughed. His mood instantly brightened whne he heard your voice. "I should correct you, I woke up in the wrong outfit"

Because of her silence, he could mentally picture her confused face. "Somehow I went to sleep in my suit,… which I'm wearing now.." He realized, picking at the collar. Now, she got it, and laughed along with him. "Listen, tonight, you wanna come over for dinner?" She nervously asked. Arthur smiled.

"I'd like that"

**Because of recent/upcoming events, I regret to inform you I will have to cut this story short. Meaning, what you just read, was the last chapter in this 20 chapter series. And yes, I do remember I told you guys that there would be a sequel to this, but that was before I realized that because of starting school, other things in my life (yes. I have a life), I cannot keep up with publishing there chapters. Later, however, I might add on to this series. And, or, I might publish a new storyline. **

**Once again, I do regret to inform those readers who have stuck with me for the whole thing, that this story, as I like to say, has been cancelled. **

**Sorry,**

**Meghan.**


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